Given the current vicious assault on transgender rights, perhaps the most salient aspect of Cemetery Boys, written by a young trans man, is the fact it was published at all. And it was on The New York Times bestseller list for four weeks.
The book has been classified as everything from a paranormal romance to young adult fantasy. It centers on Yadriel, a sixteen-year-old trans boy who happens to be queer. He lives in the largely Latinx community of East Los Angeles with his father and grandmother who do not understand his gender identity.
But Yadriel has a bigger problem. He was born into a line of brujx, or witches. The men are able to communicate with the spirits of the dead and ease them into the afterlife. After having failed his test to be a bruja, or female sorcerer, Yadriel has been denied his quinces ritual ceremony, typically held at age 15, that would acknowledge him as a brujo, or male witch.
Determined to find his true calling and identity as a boy, Yadriel holds the ceremony with his friend Maritza. She has rejected the brujx tradition for herself, deploring the use of ritual animal blood, but is willing to help her friend.
To their surprise the ceremony works and Yadriel finds himself connected to Julian, who appears to have been recently murdered. Julian, also a teen, is a rebellious fellow student who is known for frequently cutting class and hanging out with a group of outcasts including a queer girl, a female transgender student and an ex-gang member. These are the “throwaways” who have been kicked out of their homes.
Thomas uses the character of Julian to make a number of points. Once connected to this seeming bad boy, Yadriel must chaperone him for a few days until he can help him transition to the afterlife.
In a late-night heart-felt conversation, Julian tells Yadriel he should not apologize for who he is and that he cannot be the only queer brujo who has ever existed. And he comes out as queer himself. The stage is set for the strong, if impossible attraction that develops between boy and spirit.
The author brings up a variety of issues, and the themes of loss and grief are laced throughout the book. But acceptance and optimism prevail. As Yadriel’s sympathetic Uncle Catriz says: “We should be embracing differences, even if it scares us. Not rejecting them and pushing them aside.”
Inviting us to suspend our disbelief for a moment, Cemetery Boys is a fantastical, entertaining exploration of the struggle for trans rights and the fight for identity. It is worth the read.
