Edge - Short Stories by M.E. Kerr that include a lesbian teen, a homophobic dad, and a society where sex isn't special (but ideas are)

Edge by M.E. Kerr

Three stories from the collection include LGBTQ characters/themes:

“The Fire At Far and Away”
- Gil’s dad constantly makes negative comments about Paul and Robert, a couple who spends their summers in Gil's town. Though it bothers him, he never speaks up and when Gil starts working as a housekeeper for them, Gil fears what slurs his dad will start saying to him.

‘We Might As Well All Be Strangers”
-After coming out to her Holocaust-survivor grandmother and mother, Alison deals with backlash from her mother, who is having trouble coming to terms with Alison's sexuality. As a victim of prejudice, Alison's grandmother is more accepting.

“Do You Want My Opinion?”
- John lives in a society where everyone belongs to each other — you are free to touch anyone you chose, but the sharing of opinions is looked down upon. Sex is not seen as something special to share between two people in love; rather it is the sharing of ideas that you wait for the right person for.

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Shockproof Sydney Skate

By Marijane Meaker, a.k.a. M. E. Kerr

Sydney doesn't think anything can shock him.

After all, it's the 1970s. His Mom's a lesbian, and while he doesn't let on to her that he knows, he knows a lot about her and her girlfriends.

He works at a pet store taking care of snakes, and on top of that he's memorized the sex scenes in all the books he's ever read to help him seduce women.

So nothing can shock him - right? Uh, there is one thing Sydney's not prepared for: When his Mom seduces the girl of HIS dreams!


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Night Kites

by M.E. Kerr

Erick's 17 when his life explodes with change - His best friend's girlfriend comes onto him, he goes for her, and loses his friend as a result. And his older brother Pete comes home sick, slowly being overcome by AIDS - and so Erick learns that his brother is gay.

Published in 1986, early in the AIDS epidemic, this was also one of the first YA novels to deal with AIDS.

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Deliver Us From Evie

by M.E. Kerr

Missouri Farm-girl Evie romances the daughter of the wealthiest man in town - the same man who holds the mortgage on their family farm.

Narrated by Evie's younger brother, whose romance with a girl from a fundamentalist and homophobic family becomes so tension-filled that he outs Evie... to everyone!

School Library Journal called Evie, "Among the most convincing lesbian characters in young adult fiction," which is pretty great.

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Hello, I Lied

by M.E. Kerr

In the author's words:

Lang goes to spend the summer on Long Island with his mother on a rock legend's estate where she'll be working. He has to leave his boyfriend, Alex, in New York City, where they both live. Enter Huguette, a girl who means a lot to the rocker and could mean a lot to Lang by summer's end.

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