It Looks Like This
Age 14+
General Fiction
In spare, understated prose heightened by a keen lyricism, a debut author will take your breath away.
A new state, a new city, a new high school. Mike’s father has already found a new evangelical church for the family to attend, even if Mike and his plainspoken little sister, Toby, don’t want to go. Dad wants Mike to ditch art for sports, to toughen up, but there’s something uneasy behind his demands. Then Mike meets Sean, the new kid, and “hey” becomes games of basketball, partnering on a French project, hanging out after school. A night at the beach. The fierce colors of sunrise. But Mike’s father is always watching. And so is Victor from school, cell phone in hand. In guarded, Carveresque prose that propels you forward with a sense of stomach-dropping inevitability, Rafi Mittlefehldt tells a wrenching tale of first love and loss that exposes the undercurrents of a tidy suburban world. Heartbreaking and ultimately life-affirming, It Looks Like This is a novel of love and family and forgiveness—not just of others, but of yourself.
Creators
Rafi Mittlefehldt has worked as a reporter for a small-town newspaper in central Texas and has freelanced as a theater critic for Exeunt magazine. This is his debut novel. Raised in Houston, Texas, he works in book publishing and lives in New York City.
Reviews
Beautifully written and all consuming, debut author Rafi Mittlefehldt has composed a compelling narrative with veracity and compassion. Just phenomenal.
Diva Booknerd
It Looks Like This is all the more powerful for the quiet and controlled way it speaks about Mike’s situation. There is a growing number of LGBTQIA fiction books, and this one in particular doesn’t sit on the joyous and celebratory shelf, but rather the cautionary sad one. Of course, both representations are valid and necessary, as much as I wish the latter weren’t.
Reading Time
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into It Looks Like This but it blew me away with its emotional plot and realistic characters. If you’re looking for a really great LGBTQ+ story, I would recommend checking this one out because it will tug at your heartstrings.
Happy Indulgence
It Looks Like This is ultimately a cautionary depiction, emphasising the brave and often heartbreaking reality of prejudice and bigotry. Beautifully written and all consuming, debut author Rafi Mittlefehldt has composed a compelling narrative with veracity and compassion. Just phenomenal.
Divabooknerd
