Review by Alicia L’Archevêque
Independently Published, August 31st, 2022
241 pages. Paperback. CAN. $13.22. ISBN: 979-8849304304
12-18 years old (Grade 7-12)
Romance, Fiction
“I stared up at him. The boy with literature in his lashes and art pumping through his veins. I was lost and found and empty and full. How could he leave when we weren’t finished yet? Is this all we would get? A few memories that would seem meaningless in the greater scheme of life?”
The way I picture the relationship between 22-year-old Turner and 18-year-old Clementine can be explained via citrus: Turner is a rather pompous orange, while Clementine is, well, a clementine. Despite being a smaller fruit, a clementine is not inferior to its larger citrus counterpart. However, an impressionable clementine might be convinced that it should marvel at the orange’s pretense of maturity and knowledge – claims leaning on the simple fact that it is bigger. To solidify this dynamic, the pompous orange might even call the clementine “kid.”
Written by Tita M. Kyrtsakas, he called me kid is a young adult romance novel centered on the relationship between a soon-to-be high school graduate, Clementine, and an upper-year university student, Turner. Their instant connection, formed by their shared love for literature and clever banter, is an interesting – though, at times, lackluster – depiction of relationships that are complicated by age, distance, and the subjectivity of art.
The pair’s relationship sparks over the teachings of Turner’s favourite works, but their budding love must soon bloom digitally as Turner returns to university. Initially, the two experience an exciting honeymoon stage, but it isn’t long before the hardships accompanying a long-distance ‘situationship’ begin to rear their ugly heads, highlighting important differences between Turner and “Kid.”
Kyrstakas takes on an intriguing form throughout the novel, interspersing her prose with handfuls of poetry written by Clementine which appear during moments in the novel that are of the highest emotional intensity. This was an addition to the novel I found exceptionally effective: the snippets of her work reinforce themes of self-expression, creativity, and growth. This element of form captured Clementine’s character authentically and intimately, primarily because it felt as though she was relaying her innermost thoughts to the reader directly.
In the early parts of the novel, I found it hard to empathize with either character. Since much of their dialogue served the purpose of appearing interesting and well-read in the eyes of their love interest, I felt as though I didn’t know them well enough to root for their relationship. As the book progresses, bits of a more authentic Clementine begin to peek through as she grows confident in her love for the less ‘sophisticated’ things that Turner mocks, like YA literature. This was a pleasant unfolding that I wish would’ve begun sooner.
At times, I found this book lacking a certain warmth and depth that helps me fall in love with fictional characters and their world. Kyrsakas’ ideas show real promise, and I wish I could’ve been more immersed in Clementine’s story—it feels as though I only ever scratched the surface. Nevertheless, he called me kid is fairly entertaining and left me with a heartwarming closing thought – that the love you give is just as beautiful as the love you receive.
Alicia L’Archevêque loves to write, talk about movies, dance with friends, and climb trees in good company. She is an art student at UBC and a swimmer on the school’s varsity team.
YOUNG ADULTING 