Kaleidoscope Song by Fox Benwell
Kaleidoscope Song
Pros
- Representation of queer life in South Africa
- Diverse identities
- Empowering overtone
Cons
- Queer Violence
- Not based on lived experience
- Colonial implications
Title: Kaleidoscope Song
Author: Fox Benwell
Original Publication Date: September 19, 2017
Original Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Queer Representation: 1 lesbian protagonist, several lesbian gay and trans minor and supporting characters
Page Length: 416
Likely the first and only young adult book to address queerness and the practice of corrective rape in South Africa
Memorable Quote: “But everyone has a voice, and everyone sings. Oh, we all do it differently … But everybody has a song to sing, their own personal story leaked into the world. And mine is one of love.
REVIEW:
Neo has loved music as long as she can remember, but living in the poor South African township of Khayelitsha, her dreams aren’t perceived as being practical. Neo’s parents would much rather see her finish school and become a wife or go and get a real job. But Neo cannot help but to be moved by the music. When the local radio station does a live show featuring local artists, Neo feels compelled to sneak out and go. It is at this show where she first sees Tale and the Storytellers and falls just as hard for their music as she does for their lead singer.
From that moment on, Neo can think of nothing but Tale and the music. By day, she dreams of Tale’s voice, and by night, she sneaks out to try and find her. After befriending Tale and the rest of her group, Neo ends up with an internship at the radio station and begins to build a name for herself. When Neo’s relationship with Tale becomes romantic and Neo begins to introduce queer artists into her radio show, however, it becomes clear to the adult men around her that something must be done.
Kaleidoscope Song is a highly emotional story that carries the reader from note to note. It is truly part of a monumental shift in queer young adult literature to include greater diversity. However, it must be noted that it is a novel written by an white British author. Benwell acknowledges his privilege and distance from the material in the novel’s afterward and tells his readers to research these issues further. While I praise such an admission by the author, I still worry about the colonial effects of a British author writing about South Africa since it was England that colonized the land and the effects of colonization are still being felt today. I am glad to see representations of South African queerness in young adult literature, but I hope that readers continue through the author’s note and beyond to read more. Hopefully Benwell’s novel is the first step in getting queer young adult literature about South Africa written by South Africans.
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