The Girls in Queens

January 1, 2022

Two Latinx girls growing up close in Queens, NY, Brisma and Kelly are entering high school when shy Brisma becomes involved with local baseball legend Brian, creating a disruptive triangle that is eventually upended. Years later, the three reunite, but while Kelly sticks up for Brian when he is accused of sexual assault, Brisma looks back uncomfortably at problems in their relationship. From the Pushcart Prize-nominated Torres; with a 40,000-copy first printing.

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Starred review from April 18, 2022
Torres debuts with an incisive and keenly observed story of girls and women navigating life in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. In 2006, narrator Brisma, a shy aspiring screenwriter raised by a single Puerto Rican mother and about to graduate from college, runs into her high school boyfriend Brian, now a college baseball player, at a Mets game. Later, as Brisma starts thinking of rekindling their romance, she learns he has been accused of sexual assault, which leads her to reconsider her relationship with him back in the ’90s, which began when she was 15, and to reflect on other sexual predators she knew of in her youth. Her past and present are both tangled not only with Brian but with her best friend, Kelly, an outgoing woman whose Colombian father has returned to his native country and whose Irish mother is in prison. Their resilient but volatile friendship forms the heart of the story and is tested after Kelly takes a different view of Brian’s accusers by offering him support, which makes Brisma feel betrayed. Even more impressive is the vibrant portrait of Queens, where gender, skin color, and ethnicity are prime factors in shaping the characters’ social positions. Torres hits every note perfectly. Agent: Johanna Castillo, Writers House.

July 22, 2022

DEBUT Set before the #MeToo movement, this debut novel explores how young women of color navigate issues of sexual abuse and dating violence within their community. As teenagers in the mid-1990s, Brisma and her childhood friend Kelly are inseparable. They live in Woodside, Queens, a neighborhood with a rich and diverse array of cultures that's also dominated by Mets fandom. During high school, several incidents set the stage for ongoing challenges to their friendship as well as their own understanding of unhealthy, even unsafe, relationships with men. In particular, their experiences with talented baseball player Brian and serious accusations about his dating history drive a significant wedge between the two friends. The story is told in a nonlinear fashion, which does not necessarily add value to the storytelling; recognizing timeline changes can be difficult. The novel's pacing is also too slow, especially in the first half. Nevertheless, Torres excels at describing Brisma's complicated and emotional path toward a believable, albeit painful acceptance of the truth about both Brian and Kelly. VERDICT Despite its issues, this novel will resonate for those who've read books like Jacqueline Woodson's Another Brooklyn and is recommended for Torres's attention to the complex intersectional issues surrounding allegations of sexual violence within communities of color and the promise of solidarity among women.--Faye A. Chadwell

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.