Perpetually awkward Nima Kumara-Clark is bored with her insular community of Bridgeton,
in love with her straight girlfriend, and trying to move past her mother’s unexpected departure. After a bewildering encounter at a local festival, Nima finds herself suddenly immersed in the drag scene on the other side of town.
Macho drag kings, magical queens, new love interests, and surprising allies propel Nima both painfully and hilariously closer to a self she never knew she could be—one that can confidently express and accept love. But she’ll have to learn to accept lost love to get there.
Select Reviews
“Interpersonal relationships between Nima, her friends, and the drag queens feel authentic and fresh. The author clearly has a profound knowledge of drag queen culture, and her love for it practically pops off the page. A bright and sparkly celebration of love and self-acceptance.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“A story filled with glitter, feather boas, lip-syncing and dancing, where gender identity is flexible and performance is the embodiment of joy.”
—BookPage, starred review
“Poignant and important”—Refinery29
At once comedic and heartrending, Tanya Boteju’s Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens gracefully explores the fluidity of gender, sexuality and the teenage self. Nima’s spirited journey to confidence should resonate with readers who have grappled with thoughts of inadequacy or low self-esteem. Told in Nima’s endearingly witty voice, Boteju’s debut celebrates the in-between in all of us, and the self-assurance that can be gained through self-expression.— Samantha Zaboski, Shelf Awareness, starred review