I often talk about the power of books to transport you, allowing you to see the world through different viewpoints and experiences. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas exemplifies this for me, in more wonderfully visceral ways than any book I’ve read in quite a while.

What happens when you summon a ghost – but it’s the wrong one, and he refuses to leave? Yadriel is from a long line of brujos, but his traditional Latinx father has problems accepting his gender, so he performs his quinces ceremony himself and sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. Instead, he summons Julian, a guy he knows from school, who is just as shocked as Yads is because he didn’t know he was dead. Julian won’t go quietly, though, and wants to figure out what happened to him. Yadriel agrees to help,so they can both get what they want, but he quickly realises that he doesn’t want Julian to leave.

So, if you’re a follower of mine, you know a few things about me. I’m a white, cishet, English speaking middle class woman. I’m a proud SJW leftie and queer ally, so I have always tried to be open to other perspectives and experiences. But I have to say, this books was challenging for me. I don’t mean that with any negative connotations. It was a good challenge. I enjoyed teasing out the language and cultural references from context, and resorting to google translate to confirm I had it right. I also loved that it doesn’t homogenise culture, but celebrates the diversity of Latinx culture and identity, through the glorious preparations for and celebration of Día de los Muertos. Whilst I know a few trans people, and I do a lot of reading to educate myself so that I can be a good ally to my friends, family and community, I’ve never really questioned my own gender, so reading narratives from the point of view of trans characters is always an experience I enjoy, especially when they are so brilliantly crafted by an own-voices author. If you’re looking for a book that is first and foremost a cracking good read, but will also allow you to visit the unique and wonderful world of a trans Latinx teen coming to terms with his multifaceted identity, I’d highly recommend this.