A Girl Named Charlie Lester - Lesbian Book Review

Carissa Halston's novel, A Girl Named Charlie Lester, is sweet, funny and sad all at once. The author has an astounding grip on characterization and what makes the characters real and three-dimensional.

At the opening, eighteen-year-old Charlie Lester escapes her abusive aunt and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. We then flash forward eight years to see what's become of Charlie. The remainder of the book balances each chapter on the next, switching from "then" to "now," filling in the story between adolescent and adult Charlie.

In this manner, the author showcases Charlie's struggle with her identity, including her sexual orientation, placing her in situations which make her uncomfortable, but forcing her to manage her own way out. It's a natural progression and Charlie eventually grows to be contented, though not always happy, with herself.

Charlie's experiences involving love and sex span from her first physical relationship, with an emotionally absent boyfriend, to her more rewarding emotional and physical relationship with Ray, Charlie's first girlfriend. Readers will identify with Charlie's mistakes, though she may seem thick-headed during their execution, as they're errors made in the folly of youth. What's most refreshing about Charlie (and the book overall) is her strength and determination in working toward what she wants, rather than just accepting whatever life hands her.