Young Adult Literature - Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Green, J., & Levithan, D. (2010). Will Grayson, Will Grayson . New York: Dutton.

 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a book with an amazingly unique concept.  John Green begins the book with a narrator named Will Grayson.  Green's Will Grayson has a large, homosexual friend named Tiny Cooper, and a friend named Jane, who Will may be romantically interested in.  At the beginning of the book though, he is not even sure if Jane is gay or straight since he meets her through his friend, Tiny.  In the second chapter, David Levithan introduces the reader to his character named Will Grayson.  Levithan's Will is homosexual and is in love with a boy named Isaac, who he has only had contact with via the internet.  Will has a friend named Maura, who wants him to open up to her.  Levithan's Will suffers from depression, lives with his single mother, and while he is not ashamed to be gay, he wants to keep this piece of information to himself.  Both Wills have difficulty opening up and making meaningful connections with people.  Green's Will prefers to keep to himself to keep from getting hurt.  Levithan's Will is similar in that he only knows how to become close to someone through the internet.  When Levithan's Will goes to meet Isaac, he makes the shocking discovery that Isaac never existed and that he has been talking to Maura all this time.  It is during this event that he meets Green's Will and they discover that they share a name.  Green's Will introduces Levithan's Will to Tiny Cooper.  Tiny helps Levithan's Will realize that he should embrace the person he is, after which Will comes out to his mother.  Will's mother is accepting of her son, and even has dinner with Will and Tiny.  Unfortunately, the two later break up because Will realizes that Tiny is more attracted to the Will's need, than to Will himself.  Meanwhile, Green's Will decides to step out of his comfort zone and begins a relationship with Jane.  Throughout the book, Tiny is in the middle of producing a play about his life as a gay teenager.  The novel culminates with the opening night of the play.  Levithan's Will goes to the play and invites all the Will Graysons of the area to attend.  At the end of the play, they all stand up and tell Tiny how much he means to them.