Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers/NetGalley for a copy of As You Walk On By in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad’s plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves excelling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters and going to Duke on athletic scholarship.
But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. After his best friend Jay dares Theo to prompose to his crush at Chloe Campbell’s party, Theo’s ready to throw caution to the wind and take his chances.
But when the promposal goes epically wrong, Theo seeks refuge in an empty bedroom while the party rages on downstairs. Having an existential crisis about who he really is with and without his so-called best friend wasn’t on tonight’s agenda.Though, as the night goes on, Theo finds he’s not as alone as he thinks when, one by one, new classmates join him to avoid who they’re supposed be outside the bedroom door. Among them, a familiar acquaintance, a quiet outsider, an old friend and a new flame … – from the publisher.
Bottle it up!
Roughly one-half of Julian Winters‘s As You Walk On By takes place in one location over one night. If this were a TV show, that’d basically define a bottle, or single-location, episode. These episodes gained popularity as a way to keep production costs down. Except, of course, the beauty of a book is there are no costs associated with location (location, location!).
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The beauty of so much of As You Walk On By being confined to a single space is it forces the focus onto character development. This novel has a large cast, and each secondary character is well-drawn and distinct, which is sometimes hard to do in a first-person narrative. Without needing to define constantly switched-up settings or action, Winters is able to devote page time to keeping these characters unique.
As the tendency in media trends toward shorter and shorter scenes, it was exciting to read something that stood still, planted.
Beware the man bun
I’m kind of kidding with that title, but not really. If I’ve learned anything the last few years from consuming media, it’s this: If a cishetero white dude has a bun, run! He might as well be twirling an exaggerated mustache. But in all seriousness, As You Walk On By handles the topic of microaggressions versus macroaggressions really well.
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Without smacking you over the head with a Lesson Stick, the novel reminds you that ally is a verb, not a noun. Also, Winters holds the main character Theo accountable for his actions. More importantly, Theo holds himself to account. There’s a lesson taught toward the end of the book about apologies. Essentially, it’s only meaningful if you are specific about what you’re apologizing for. I will be holding onto that.
Should you read it?
As You Walk On By is another solid novel by Winters. His books feel like cozy, safe spaces — even when the going gets real, you know it’s gonna turn out all right. And while I usually loathe prom things (I left my own early), the book didn’t make me roll my eyes about the whole shebang. That’s no easy feat.
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Any theatre kids, nerds, current and former, especially those who are queer and/or POC, will relate to As You Walk On By. So, too, will anyone who understands the term “self-imposed familial pressure.”
Pick up a copy of As You Walk On By at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🎉
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/julian-winters-interview/
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