Book Review: Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz

Book: Marco Impossible
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Published: March 19, 2013
Source: Review copy from publisher via NetGalley

Stephen's best friend, Marco, has a plan. It's the last day of eighth grade, and he's decided that he needs to confess his love to the boy of his dreams. At the high school prom. In order to get to the prom, they have to get tickets, tuxes, and a reasonable story to get in the door.

Naturally, he calls on Stephen, and Stephen goes along. What's a best friend for, anyway? But as the day goes on, he begins to realize that there's more at stake, and more at play, in this simple little caper than he'd ever bargained for. And even though they've been friends forever, Stephen can't for the life of him work out what's going on in Marco's head.

When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a delightful and kooky romp. As I worked my way through the story, I realized that was just the surface. This really isn't a story about a boy who wants to declare his love to another boy. It's about a boy who thought he knew his best friend inside out, and realizes that's not the case at all.

Marco has things he isn't telling Stephen. Stephen has things he isn't telling Marco. Everybody, in fact, has their little secrets, and these are what builds up into the explosion of truth-telling at the end.

You may have already picked on one of my favorite things about the book, and that's Marco's sexuality. Rather, how Marco's sexuality is handled. To Stephen, it's a non-issue. It's part of who his best friend is and always has been. But as I got deeper in, I realized that wasn't the case for every character, and that plays into the things that Marco isn't telling Stephen.

For a sweet and funny book with more under the surface, this would be my pick.