Changes

''The Names They Gave Us'' will seem slightly foreign to UK teenagers. (White) Britain is a much more secular country - culturally Christian, at best - and teenagers here don't often think about their relationship with God, or go to religious summer camps, or partake in religious abstinence. Swearing is less of a taboo. I don't think this will make it any less engaging or interesting but it should be said that the book may have a different impact on this side of the Pond. I will also say that I think some details felt a little forced. Lord gets in a mention of almost every issue current teens think about - being trans, suicide, interracial relationships, abstinence, even cultural appropriation. I can see the worthy motives for all of it and appreciate them but let's not make it a checklist of virtue, you know?

But of course, there is much that is universal. Lucy has to contend with the break-up of her first relationship, finding friendship in new places, growing from a self-centred and childish notion of the world into a new adult who can appreciate the perspectives of others. And, most importantly, to cope with the potentially imminent mortality of a beloved parent. These are all terrifying things, particularly to a relatively sheltered and naturally reserved, introspective girl like Lucy. To her credit, she starts the book as quite prissy and self-absorbed but rises to the challenge - prompted by her very wise mother - and is the better for it, not only for herself but also as a daughter, a friend, and a girlfriend. And I liked the ending, which avoided tying everything off in neat bows.