We Are Totally Normal is a YA novel set on the west coast. Nandan is from an Indian family in an Indian community, but the story is basically about sex and partying. Nandan is a junior in high school, and he spends a lot of his time hooking up, trying to hook up, or avoiding hooking up. What makes it interesting is that he is working out whether he is gay, whether he likes sex with other men, whether he likes sex with women, and how to present his explorations to his friends and his family. There’s a lot of texting, scheming, hiding the truth, and people getting annoyed with each other. 

The book plunges straight into Nandan’s narrative, and at first it is hard to work out who is who. But it gradually becomes clear. He is funny and charming, though he is also a bit annoying. Nandan and his friends are very conversant with modern ideas of sexuality, power, and language. Sometimes they respect that, and sometimes they make fun of each other. It’s a striking mixture that makes sense. Nandan is worried that he wants to be gay because it makes him more interesting. Ultimately, it is a thoughtful book.

The unabridged audiobook, 7 hours long, is performed by Sunil Malhotra who gives Nandan plenty of character.

Christian Perring is editor of Metapsychology Online Reviews. He teaches philosophy in the NYC area and is an APPA certified philosophical counselor.

Categories: AudioBooks, Fiction

Keywords: YA literature, sexuality, identity