by Hayley Charlesworth
There are many people who say that the true mark of LGBT equality in fiction is when a story will work equally well with straight leads as it will with LGBT leads. This can be said of teen-queen Maureen Johnson’s The Bermudez Triangle, which, while exploring a lesbian relationship and sexual identity, perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere of any friendship group when two members start dating.
There are many people who say that the true mark of LGBT equality in fiction is when a story will work equally well with straight leads as it will with LGBT leads. This can be said of teen-queen Maureen Johnson’s The Bermudez Triangle, which, while exploring a lesbian relationship and sexual identity, perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere of any friendship group when two members start dating.
The Bermudez Triangle is the story of Nina, Mel and Avery, three thick-as-thieves best friends who are about to be separated for the first time. When Nina goes away for the summer, Mel and Avery are left behind. Then when Nina returns, she’s faced with the revelation that her two best friends are in a relationship. With each other.
The book has some realistically depicted attitudes towards sexuality that are refreshing to see. While Mel wholeheartedly identifies as a lesbian, Avery is still unsure. She maintains an attraction to boys, but doesn’t feel like the label ‘bisexual’ fits her. Johnson does well to show that some people don’t fall into certain categories and that it takes a while for teenagers to discover who they really are. Her only failing in telling Avery’s story is that, for a good portion of the book, little sympathy is shown for her dilemma, and she frequently comes across as just being a bitch to Mel.
And that’s the only real failing of the book. The story is great, but it takes the longest time to actually connect with any of the characters. The most successful in this regard is Nina. Her discomfort at being caught between two friends is instantly identifiable, as is her familiar third-wheel isolation. Interestingly, the book makes it clear that Nina harbours no prejudiced attitudes, but questions her thoughts over Mel and Avery in case she is being prejudiced.
Chapters are told from the alternate viewpoints of the three leads, which goes some way towards explaining why it takes so long for us to understand these girls. Also present in the narrative are Nina’s numerous emails to her long-distance boyfriend Steve, which do feel superfluous in repeating information we already know, but serve to emphasise Nina’s isolation and loneliness.
The Bermudez Triangle is not a perfect book, but it is an important one. It is one of a growing number of young adult novels with LGBT protagonists that has a universal appeal. Any issues come not with the representation but with the immediacy in which we connect with the characters. It is a rewarding read, and an enjoyable one, and its slow start can be excused thanks to its satisfying ending. It is an ending which doesn’t tie up all the loose ends, but one in which it is clear that all three girls have grown and changed through the story, and for the better.
The book has some realistically depicted attitudes towards sexuality that are refreshing to see. While Mel wholeheartedly identifies as a lesbian, Avery is still unsure. She maintains an attraction to boys, but doesn’t feel like the label ‘bisexual’ fits her. Johnson does well to show that some people don’t fall into certain categories and that it takes a while for teenagers to discover who they really are. Her only failing in telling Avery’s story is that, for a good portion of the book, little sympathy is shown for her dilemma, and she frequently comes across as just being a bitch to Mel.
And that’s the only real failing of the book. The story is great, but it takes the longest time to actually connect with any of the characters. The most successful in this regard is Nina. Her discomfort at being caught between two friends is instantly identifiable, as is her familiar third-wheel isolation. Interestingly, the book makes it clear that Nina harbours no prejudiced attitudes, but questions her thoughts over Mel and Avery in case she is being prejudiced.
Chapters are told from the alternate viewpoints of the three leads, which goes some way towards explaining why it takes so long for us to understand these girls. Also present in the narrative are Nina’s numerous emails to her long-distance boyfriend Steve, which do feel superfluous in repeating information we already know, but serve to emphasise Nina’s isolation and loneliness.
The Bermudez Triangle is not a perfect book, but it is an important one. It is one of a growing number of young adult novels with LGBT protagonists that has a universal appeal. Any issues come not with the representation but with the immediacy in which we connect with the characters. It is a rewarding read, and an enjoyable one, and its slow start can be excused thanks to its satisfying ending. It is an ending which doesn’t tie up all the loose ends, but one in which it is clear that all three girls have grown and changed through the story, and for the better.
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