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Under the rainbow : a novel / Celia Laskey.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Riverhead Books, [2020]Description: 278 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780525536161
  • 0525536167
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "In the small town of Big Burr, Kansas, ministers warn that "Satan was the first to demand equal rights," a lesbian-owned bed and breakfast mysteriously burns to the ground, and casually bigoted social media posts are the norm. But when a national nonprofit labels Big Burr "the most homophobic town in America" and sends in a task force in a Real World-style experiment - as residents for two years, they'll attempt to broaden hearts and minds - no one is truly prepared for the other. Avery desperately wants to fit in with her new high school classmates, but with her "lesbian crusader" mom running the task force, she's terrified that it's only a matter of time until she's outed. Across town, Linda tries to escape her grief over her son's death by befriending the arrivals, who know mercifully little about her past. But to Christine, profoundly attached to the carefully orchestrated rhythms of Big Burr life, they are not only a threat but a call to action. As tensions roil the town, cratering relationships and forcing closely guarded secrets into the light, local and interloper alike are forced to consider what it really means to belong. Told with warmth and wit, in a chorus of unexpected voices, Under the Rainbow is a poignant articulation of our complicated humanity that reminds us we are more alike than we'd like to admit"-- Provided by publisher.
List(s) this item appears in: LGBTQIA+ Reads for Adults
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Fiction Laskey, Celia Available 33111009603610
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize

"Delivered with such conviction and grace ... fresh ... essential." -- The New York Times Book Review

When outsiders on a mission arrive to change a small town's attitudes, residents and newcomers alike end up transformed.

Big Burr, Kansas is the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone--or so they think. But when a national nonprofit labels Big Burr "the most homophobic town in the U.S." and sends in a queer task force to live and work there for two years, no one is prepared for what will ensue.

Still grieving the death of her son, Linda welcomes the newcomers, who know mercifully little about her past. Teenage Avery, furious at being uprooted from her life in L.A. and desperate to fit in at her new high school, fears it's only a matter of time before her classmates discover her mom is the head of the task force. And Gabe, an avid hunter who has lived in Big Burr his whole life, suddenly feels as if he's in the crosshairs.

As tensions roil the town, cratering relationships and bringing difficult truths to light, both long time residents and new arrivals must reconsider what it means to belong. Told with warmth and wit, Under the Rainbow is a poignant, hopeful articulation of our complicated humanity and the ways we can learn to live with each other and ourselves.

"In the small town of Big Burr, Kansas, ministers warn that "Satan was the first to demand equal rights," a lesbian-owned bed and breakfast mysteriously burns to the ground, and casually bigoted social media posts are the norm. But when a national nonprofit labels Big Burr "the most homophobic town in America" and sends in a task force in a Real World-style experiment - as residents for two years, they'll attempt to broaden hearts and minds - no one is truly prepared for the other. Avery desperately wants to fit in with her new high school classmates, but with her "lesbian crusader" mom running the task force, she's terrified that it's only a matter of time until she's outed. Across town, Linda tries to escape her grief over her son's death by befriending the arrivals, who know mercifully little about her past. But to Christine, profoundly attached to the carefully orchestrated rhythms of Big Burr life, they are not only a threat but a call to action. As tensions roil the town, cratering relationships and forcing closely guarded secrets into the light, local and interloper alike are forced to consider what it really means to belong. Told with warmth and wit, in a chorus of unexpected voices, Under the Rainbow is a poignant articulation of our complicated humanity that reminds us we are more alike than we'd like to admit"-- Provided by publisher.

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