Book Review: Under The Rainbow by Celia Laskey

‘Under The Rainbow’ was released in 2020, it was the author, Celia Laskey’s debut novel. The book offers a lot of insight into the change that can come when a LGBTQ+ organisation comes to reform the most homophobic town in the United States, Big Burr, Kansas.

I actually found this book mis-shelved in a book shop, nestled among the thrillers, and was incredibly intrigued. Although it is very much not a thriller, that doesn’t make it a bad book. Laskey has told an incredibly evocative story.

This novel is a powerful, split-narrative, which jumps from multiple POV characters, including members of Acceptance Across America, the LGBTQ+ organisation that has moved to Big Burr, and the people who have lived in the little homophobic town their whole lives.

I found this story very powerful. It provided glimpses into the tragedy and stress that can come from feeling alone or lonely in a toxic, cruel environment. Being true to yourself, or fearing the consequences of queerness in small-minded spaces echo throughout the novel, but there are some truly raw and powerful moments that aren’t inherently derived from queerness, thus demonstrating that the LGBTQ+ community isn’t that different from the straight community. I loved seeing how Miguel and David came to cope with the idea of Miguel’s father, Arturo, moving in with them after having a stroke, and how, Arturo, who considered his son’s queerness something he could ignore, now has to grapple with living with them, and no longer being able to ignore his son’s relationship. Finding out, through odd comments throughout the rest of the book that Arturo and David formed a closer relationship during their time in Kansas was really heart-warming.

The story that stuck with me most was certainly Harley’s story. Harley, who uses they/them pronouns, loses their cat after returning home to the city with their mother as she passed away, and offering her end-of-life care and support. The fallout of Harley’s plight had me sobbing. As someone who loves her pets more than anything, the outcome had me so angry, I wished I could physically hurt some of these characters. If you’ve recently lost a pet, or had a pet run away, maybe shelf this book for a little bit.

I would have loved to see more of these characters, extra chapters focusing on Avery and the consequences of her actions and the turbulence of her relationship with her mother and brother, I feel like it would have made the end of her story all the more compelling.

Ultimately, I would definitely recommend this book, it handles internalised homophobia, queer joy, and the cruelty of a small town perfectly. It was nuanced, powerful and it was very engaging and evocative read.