A warm and touching graphic novel about a transgender boy finding community and connection in the distant future.
Indu is a boy who was found on the moon and adopted by a loving mother who brings him to live on her spaceship. He’s happy there, but soon realizes that he’s not “whoever it is everyone thinks I’m supposed to be”; his mother unconditionally supports his identity change and even suggests that he try choosing a new name.
When his mother decides to move planetside to New Earth, however, to marry the widowed husband of her best friend, Indu has a hard time adjusting. He doesn’t speak Indonesian like everyone else there; his stepsister and stepbrother seem distant, his stepfather (inadvertently) misgenders him, and his mother, who promised she’d always be there for him, works long hours. Lonely and hurting, he calls out to the moon, who promises to take him back on New Year’s Day.
With his pending departure lifting his spirits, Indu seeks to make the most of his remaining time on New Earth, which includes language lessons with Aminah, who happens to be a trans woman. When a school assignment pairs him with a pen pal who is also queer, Indu finds himself actually making a friend—and even a crush. We see him gradually making friends with the people in his new home, too, not least of whom are the members of the queer community center that Aminah helped found. And a chance to take part in a coming-of-age ritual for boys in the community offers him a chance for an even greater connection to his culture and identity. But what happens when the moon comes calling?
The story is set in a richly imagined future world drawn from Indonesian culture and history. (In fact, all of the characters are people of color, and Indu’s mother, among other characters, wears a hijab.) Author/illustrators and identical twins Jes And Cin Wibowo also weave in information about various Indonesian terms related to gender, but manage to do so without sounding pedantic.
The illustrations are absolutely stunning, full of warm tones and heavy on pinks, oranges, and purples. And the scene in which Indu begins the coming-of-age ritual is notable for showing a mix of shirtless and binder-wearing men and boys, both options completely normalized.
Indu faces challenges, yes, but he also finds support, and each of his challenges are overcome with conversation, communication, and reflection, a gentle modeling for young (and old) readers.
A highly recommended tale of finding oneself, one’s family, and one’s community, with a heaping helping of queer joy.
