Cut Both Ways is a coming of age story about a boy, Will, who discovers he is sexually attracted to both his girlfriend and his male best friend. In the background is the ongoing battle between Will’s divorced parents, a war Will is unable to remain separate from. Carrie Mesrobian’s novel deals with teen sexuality, alcoholism, and learning to accept yourself for who you are. These characters are fleshed out with interesting tidbits of information like Brandy’s love of Target and Will’s obsession with the dog picture hanging up in his bathroom.

Though I knew that the novel dealt with sexuality, I certainly was not expecting there to be as much sex as there ultimately was. Part way through the book, I began to feel as if I were reading a very tame version of 50 Shades of Grey. That being said, the sex scenes in Cut Both Ways were written with care and teetered just beyond the edge of an ongoing discussion of consent culture. While the characters engage in consensual sex, most of their interactions are based off of implicit consent rather than outright and completely clear agreements.

Mesrobian weaves a complicated tale of the difficulties of teenage sexuality as well as the struggles between parents with shared custody. Her characters are all strong and independent and extremely capable of making decisions for themselves, a fact that becomes incredibly important as they wrestle with the fallout of those decisions. The plot wavers at times, sometimes hanging back from delving into tension filled situations or petering out before it causes conflict. At times like these I wished Mesrobian had taken the story a little further, especially as I wanted to see Will come to terms with himself and share his revelation with those around him. The end cut off abruptly as Will is thrown into a new heap of trouble and I longed for more understanding of his ending situation.

© 2015 Catia Cunha

Catia Cunha has a BA in Theater Arts and English from Mount Holyoke College. She won Young Playwrights Inc.’s 2013 National Playwriting Competition where her short play “Legs” was presented as a staged reading at the Lucille Lortel Theatre at the culmination of the Conference. In the spring of 2013 she produced and acted in her first full-length play, ____space, which was presented at Mount Holyoke. Catia’s senior project, Disinsemination, a play about feminist lesbians and aliens, was presented as a staged reading at Smith College and Mount Holyoke in Fall 2013. Mount Holyoke’s Rooke Theatre produced it in March 2014. In October 2014 Catia participated in the Grex Group’s Insomniacs 24-hour play festival. She is currently working on a play about sea monsters in the subway.