Be My Love

In this lovely companion to The Whole Truth (http://umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol18/no6/thewholetruth.html) and And Nothing But the Truth, (http://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol19/no13/andnothingbutthetruth.html) Kit Pearson returns to island life in a quiet and introspective narrative about love, friendship, and confronting uncomfortable truths.

Maisie is very much looking forward to visiting her grandparents on Kingfisher island for the summer. Not only will she get to see her best friend Una, but she can also get some time away from home where her father has retreated into himself after leaving his position in the church with no explanation. But things get off to a rocky start when Una shows up with new hair, a new obsession with dresses and makeup, and even a new friend, Bev. Maisie can’t stand Bev’s pettiness and constant complaining, but thankfully she only stays around for a week. After Bev’s departure, Una’s new romantic interest comes to the island, disrupting any of Maisie’s hopes for fully reconnecting with Una. One day, in a fit of rage, she destroys a letter that David has written to Una and puts her friendship into jeopardy. Thankfully, when her parents arrive at the end of summer, Maisie’s attempts to pull her father from his depression help her to see the error of her ways and confront her true feelings for Una.

Though brief, Be My Love explores religion, adolescence, personal growth, and even realizations around sexual identity, as well as—through Maisie’s father—PTSD and depression. Set in the 50s, the novel will enlighten young readers about not only some of the quirks and joys of island life, but also some of the larger social issues occurring at the time. For example, the issue of depression was not discussed to the same degree as today, and issues of mental health were considered something to keep quiet about (this is seen through remarks made by Maisie’s grandparents, as well as her own mother.) Also, homosexuality was certainly not something discussed in public. As Maisie comes to the realization that her feelings for Una are more than just those toward a friend, a kindly adult tells her about how it is illegal to be a gay man in Canada, and that lesbians would be considered mentally ill if they were found out.

Pearson’s narrative is straightforward and compelling, but based much more on internal exploration and emotions than on fast pacing or plot twists. Though some of the dialogue feels overly simplified, the age of the audience and the time frame in which the novel is set allow most of these moments to pass by under the radar. Maisie’s internal struggles and inability to fully understand what is happening inside her, exacerbated by the unwillingness of adults to provide her with details about the realities of war and her father’s condition, make Maisie a very relatable character, flawed and real.

Be My Love is an excellent novel for inclusion in classroom and school libraries, and it’s a decent jumping off point for discussions around sexuality and mental health, particularly how attitudes toward both have shifted over the decades since the 50s.