Kay Kerr’s new young adult novel, Social Queue, is an exploration of the world of online dating through the eyes of Zoe, a young autistic woman.
Kay Kerr (Photo by Jess Kearney).
Zoe has just started an internship at Bubble, an online media company, after surviving 6 emotionally exhausting and distressing high school years where she didn’t fit in and was bullied, sometimes overtly but also in other, more subtle ways. Her first article for Bubble goes viral after she shares about her non-existent dating life, but then several messages arrive from boys from her high school who said that they did have a crush on her. She decides to go on a date with each of them to find out more and discover which signs she missed, in order to to get a better understanding of herself and the strange world of dating, love and social media.
Her article blossoms into a series as she writes about each of her dates for Bubble. Online dating isn’t easy at the best of times, so mix in anxiety and autism and it’s a touching and funny journey of a young woman trying to find her feet in the next stage of her life.
Zoe is honest, charming, quirky, dorky and strong. While the novel explores autism, people who suffer other ‘invisible’ conditions such as chronic illness, mental health issues or anxiety could easily relate to Zoe’s vulnerability and the frustration and exhaustion of trying to manage everyday responsibilities and expectations when you aren’t ‘normal’.
Kerr refers to autism as a disability and explains why she uses this terminology in the Author’s Note at the end of the novel. Kerr received her own diagnosis of autism in her adult years, so whether readers agree with this use of the word or not, she is speaking her truth and this is what allows the reader to really engage with Zoe’s experiences, told through the eyes of someone who has lived it.
While it’s clearly a book with a message, Kerr deftly balances all elements of the narrative — not an easy goal to achieve. Social Queue is an important voice of representation in the young adult fiction market and also a charming read with wonderful characters, which is ultimately what we all want.
—Social Queue by Kay Kerr (Text Publishing) is out now.
Social Queue
Zoe Kelly is starting a new phase of her life. High school was a mess of bullying and autistic masking that left her burnt out and shut down. Now, with an internship at an online media company-the first step on the road to her dream writing career-she is ready to reinvent herself. But she didn't count on returning to her awkward and all-too-recent high-school experiences for her first writing assignment.
When her piece, about her non-existent dating life, goes viral, eighteen-year-old Zoe is overwhelmed and more than a little surprised by the response. But, with a deadline and a list of romantic contenders from the past to reconnect with...
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