Before you start reading: This is a critical review of the book, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. This post may discuss key plot points, which may contain spoilers, so please read with that in mind.
Introduction
Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys is a Young Adult novel published in 2020 and explores themes of identity, community and familial roles and responsibilities, and the friction that can result from identity not matching the roles and expectations within a family or community. Cemetery Boys uses the cultural concepts of brujo/bruja1 to demonstrate how traditional gender roles impact the experience of gender within the trans identity, and force conformity to “prove” trans worth.
Summary
Cemetery Boys tells the story of Yadriel, a trans teen who lives in a cemetery with his Latinx 2family and their community of brujx3. Yadriel, who has felt rejected by most of his family due to his trans identity, struggles to find his place within his community as a brujo. Yadriel, with the help of his cousin, Maritza, decides to take matters into his own hands by performing the quinces ritual he was denied at age fifteen, a ritual that gives each brujx their blessing (i.e. magic/powers) by Lady Death4. Shortly after being blessed, the entire brujx community feels the death of Yadriel’s cousin, Miguel. Searching for clues of Miguel’s death, Yadriel stumbles upon a necklace that he uses to summon a ghost, which he hopes is Miguel’s. However, the spirit Yadriel summons is a classmate from school, Julian Diaz. They agree to work together to find Julian’s friends and they’re safe, and Yadriel will release Julian into the afterlife to prove to Yadriel’s community that he is a real brujo.
Core Themes
I. Identity
I was invested in Yadriel from the very first sentence, where Thomas writes, “Yadriel wasn’t technically trespassing because he’d lived in the cemetery his whole life.” We already get the sense that Yadriel isn’t above breaking the rules, and Thomas further demonstrates this in the first few chapters by having Yadriel go against the traditions within his community to get what he wants (to become a brujo). Throughout the novel, we get glimpses of Yadriel’s strength and his willingness to act in the best interest of others, even when it may not serve him. His unwavering commitment to his community and family, despite their apparent lack of support with his identity as a trans boy, is both commendable yet challenging. As a trans man myself, I understand how difficult it can be to accept one’s own identity when those you love don’t accept you, and how that can affect self-worth. In spite of that lack of support, Yadriel still wants to be involved with the traditions and
II. Community
The brujx community in which Yadriel lives is steeped in responsibility, usefulness, and cultural tradition. As a trans boy, Yadriel is not gifted with the healing powers of the bruja, and was also denied his quinces5 and portaje6 to become a brujo. By being denied his culture through withholding his quinces, Yadriel feels left out and useless. There is a strong emphasis placed on the brujx to be useful to the community by fulfilling their roles and responsibilities through individual and collective contributions. Throughout the novel, Yadriel is pushed aside and not given the opportunity to be useful in the capacity of a brujo. Instead, he is given menial tasks such as helping with the Dia de Muertos7 decorations. His Tio8 Catriz is treated similarly, having not been born with enough magic to serve as a brujo. Yadriel finds safety and belonging with Catriz, due to their shared experiences of being othered by their community.
III. Conflict
The primary conflict in the novel is that of Yadriel fighting to be recognized as a brujo by his community. He takes it upon himself to perform his own quinces, with the help of his cousin Maritza, to be blessed by Lady Death so that he can prove his worth as a boy, brujo, and contributing member of his community. When he summons the spirit of Julian, Yadriel sees it as an opportunity to prove that he is able to perform the responsibilities of a brujo and further his goal of being recognized by his community, especially by his father.
The traditional gender roles within his community force Yadriel to believe conformity is the only path forward to being accepted. He often expresses and thinks about his place within the community often, and sees proving he’s a boy and brujo as one in the same. He references this many times through his thoughts and conversations with Julian, who doesn’t understand why Yadriel feels compelled to prove anything. Julian sees Yadriel as a complete person, one who is already deserving of the role of brujo and the identity of boy. This is a common experience amongst trans people, and this adds to the realism of the trans identity in the novel.
IV. Friendship, Love, and Belonging
Yadriel and Julian can be seen as polar opposites. Yadriel prefers to blend into the crowd and not make waves because he fears the rejection of his identity. He struggles deeply with desperately desiring acceptance while being angry at those who might reject him. He’s quiet and thoughtful an calculating with his actions and words. Julian is loud, energetic, and completely unapologetic of who he is and what he wants. Though he seems to accept death readily and embraces his new identity as wandering spirit, he still feels full of life and Yadriel is clearly drawn to that. Julian could represent the external manifestation of Yadriel’s true self, the self he doesn’t embrace fully until the end of the novel.
Analysis
- Strengths:
- Thomas expertly uses a limited POV to show the reader the internal workings of Yadriel’s views of himself, his family, and his community. Through this perspective, we are able to follow Yadriel’s journey in the current story, as he experiences it, which adds to the emotional tension.
- There is a painfully honest portrayal of the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence, which Thomas captures well in the scenes where Yadriel is feeling and experiencing something painful.
- As a YA novel, it’s written in a style that favors simple language and short sentences, making it an easy read for young readers.
- Cemetery Boys is funny yet poignant, and Thomas expertly balances the heavy things with lighthearted narration and warm relationships between Yadriel, Julian, and Maritza.
- Weaknesses
- The bulk of the action, personal, and relational development occurs within the last third of the book, and one could argue that there was room for more tension, especially in Yadriel’s and Julian’s friendship. The last five chapters are especially dense in action and tension.
- The novel follows a fairly predictable path of plot, which is fairly common with YA-genre novels:
- A young protagonist who is fighting to find their place in the world
- The supportive and outspoken best friend who follows the protagonist into the fray without hesitation
- The rocky family dynamic that leads the protagonist on a journey to find/prove themself
- The new acquaintance turned friend turned romantic interest who helps guide the protagonist on their journey and shows them what they’re capable of being if they believe in themself
- The betrayal of someone close to the protagonist, who tempts the protagonist into achieving their goals through nefarious means
Conclusion
Overall, Cemetery Boys is a beautiful and accurate representation of what it means to be queer and trans within the context of familial responsibility and traditional gender roles. Yadriel’s story is one of resilience, redemption, love, and acceptance. It reminds us that our love for our family and community cannot and should not stop us from being our authentic selves, and that we don’t have to conform to be “real”.
Footnotes
- Spanish for male (brujo) / female (bruja) witch/warlock/sorcerer. ↩︎
- A gender-neutral term that includes both Latino and Latina. ↩︎
- A gender-neutral term that includes both brujo and bruja. ↩︎
- The brujx patron saint, who blesses them with their powers when they come of age. ↩︎
- A coming-of-age ritual in which the young brujx is blessed by Lady Death with either the power to heal the living or to release spirits into the afterlife. ↩︎
- A tool given to each young brujx when they come of age. It acts as a conduit for their powers and it bound to them by Lady Death. ↩︎
- Translation: Day of the Dead. A Latinx celebration of remembrance for the friends and family that have passed away. ↩︎
- The Spanish word for uncle. ↩︎