Woah. I had no idea what to expect out of this book, but it was clearly written in the time around the 2016 election. There was so much hope in this book. Hope and fear and feeling and wishing for this alternate universe in some form or another. This was the book I was expecting, but also not at all the book I was expecting. Casey, you wonderful, wonderful human being – thank you for this!
Interestingly, what comes to mind about this book is a quote I heard this morning from Kate DiCamillo in an episode of What Should I Read Next? Kate says:
I started writing for kids. Very quickly I had just kind of this sense that it made me into a different kind of writer, and I didn’t have the words for that until Katherine Paterson, who also writes for kids, said, “When you write for kids, you are duty bound to end with hope.”
What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel, Ep 213: Art, fear, and discovering great books
What I loved about Red, White & Royal Blue was that even though it is not in any sense of the category a children’s book, the end brought about that same sense of hope that we want so badly from the stories we read at night. This book was also a response to the 2016 election that I needed. This wasn’t just the advice for future women in politics the way Dear Madam President is. (Also a book I needed after the 2016 election.) It also isn’t the explicit warning of books like The Handmaid’s Tale or Red Clocks. (In much the same way that Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings instead of horrific stories of World War I, I as a reader have not been able to pick up either of those books as they have been striking too close to home.)
As an avid watcher (and re-watcher) of The West Wing, this was also interesting because of the amount of political discourse that was included in the book. Alex strikes me as a young Josh Lyman in the way that he approaches politicians on the Hill.
The interesting thing is that while Alex and Henry’s relationship proves to be somewhat predictable, what they go through to get there is less so. Their narrative is classic and refreshing all at the same time. This was a wonderful read with with wonderful characters and a hopeful setting for our future. This is exactly what was needed right now.
Written on December 11, 2019.