Published in May 2023, Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli follows Imogen Scott, a teenager about to enter college, as she grapples with her sexuality. With a 4.33 star rating and 9555 ratings on Goodreads, the book has been well-received since its publication. When I read it, I enjoyed Albertalli’s willingness to approach issues faced by the queer community and her use of the thorough details experienced by a teenage girl figuring herself out.
In the book, Imogen is a high school senior whose best friend Lili is a freshman at the college that she plans to attend in the fall. While visiting the college, Imogen must feign bisexuality in order to fit a cover story that Lili shared with her queer school friends. Over the course of her visit and in the days afterwards, Imogen starts developing feelings for one of Lili’s queer friends, leading her to question her sexuality, as she previously thought that she was straight. In addition to her newfound confusion, Imogen deals with anxiety caused by social pressure to fit into a new community. Filled with introspection, friendship, and humor, Imogen, Obviously was an easy, enjoyable YA romance novel.
One of the only parts of the book that I disliked was that some of the conversations between characters felt stilted. Specifically, discussions regarding serious topics like queer appropriation felt like they were shoved into the book so that the author could share a message with the audience. While these messages are important and worthy of being addressed in young adult media, the way in which Albertalli wrote these messages into the novel sounded more like TED Talks than natural teenage dialogue. Had Albertalli placed these discussions into more fitting spaces within the world of the novel, the relationships between characters would have felt more realistic.
Nevertheless, Albertalli approached queer subjects (with the exception of the TED Talk friendships) beautifully. After taking time to understand her sexuality, Imogen found that she was bi; much of queer media only focuses on homosexuality because bisexuality is a challenged concept, even amongst the queer community. As biphobia and bi erasure (the idea that people who identify as bisexual will eventually “pick a side” and relabel themselves as either homosexual or heterosexual) are prevalent issues today, the bisexual representation in Imogen, Obviously felt like a very important step in queer young adult media.
Additionally, Albertalli brings attention to compulsive heterosexuality (feeling the need to be straight because it is the norm) and queer stereotypes. At the beginning of the book, Imogen fiercely identifies as straight and even admits that, because of societal standards, her mind has created an image that there can only be one queer person in each family; her sister is queer, so she must be straight. Imogen also spends much of the book doubting herself because she doesn’t feel that she fits queer cultural or fashion stereotypes, only to realize later that being bi doesn’t look a certain way — she can have her own fashion sense while still fitting in with the queer community. Moreover, Imogen’s friends talk about negative stereotypes against the queer community, such as hypersexuality, and the impact on mental health that these stereotypes can have.
Finally, because Imogen, Obviously is a young adult book, Albertalli also describes the emotions that Imogen faces as a teenager amidst social pressure and self-discovery. I thought that she wonderfully captured the feelings of teenage anxiety, the pressure to do everything perfectly to fit in, and the nerves of having a crush, through Imogen’s introspection. Small details like hesitating to send a text or obsessing over whether she had said something wrong made Imogen seem like a normal teenager.
Overall, Albertalli’s Imogen, Obviously is a quick and easy read that handles topics related to the queer community very well. The way the book addresses queer stereotypes, compulsive heterosexuality, and self-doubt while focusing on the nuances and anxieties of young adult life makes it both an interesting and informative read. Those looking for young adult media with bi representation should definitely consider the book. For those who enjoyed Imogen, Obviously, Albertalli has several other heartwarming queer novels that are sure to please.
