Sasha Masha

Borinsky, Agnes. Sasha Masha. 2020. 256p. ISBN 9780374310806.

Alex has never been comfortable in his own body. His parents love him and are supportive, but they've never really understood him. The only person that really got him was his queer friend Mabel, but at the beginning of junior year Mabel's father has been relocated to Pittsburg from Baltimore, and Mabel's calming presence in his life becomes tenuous, hanging only by texts and the occasional phone call. It is with Mabel that Alex first became Sasha Masha, a truth he discovered about himself when he first put on a beautiful dress. It suddenly made him feel that everything was right.

Now that Alex is alone, he reconnects with some old friends, and they stir him towards Tracy, a beautiful girl who has more than a passing interest in him. The longer their relationship lasts, however, the less right it feels for him. Every day that passes, he feels less like Alex, and more like Sasha Masha. Sasha Masha ends up being dumped by Tracy, but meanwhile he connects with Andre, a lively boy who introduces him to another queer side of Baltimore Sasha Masha didn't know existed. As the two of them get to know each other, Sasha Masha also gets to know himself, and comes to the conclusion that it's okay to be who he is, regardless of what others think he should be.

Fans of self-discovery books will really appreciate Sasha Masha and the process of finding out who one truly is. The presence of guiding and supportive elder queer individuals add an element often missing in LGBTQ+ literature.