Pulp by Robin Talley

“In 1955, eighteen-year-old Janet Jones keeps the love she shares with her best friend Marie a secret... Sixty-two years later, Abby Zimet can’t stop thinking about her senior project and its subject—classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction… In this novel told in dual narratives... author Robin Talley weaves together the lives of two young women connected across generations through the power of words. A stunning story of bravery, love, how far we’ve come and how much farther we have to go.”*

Note: I listened to this book. The narrator does weird voices that are rather annoying to try and differentiate the characters. If you are interested in pursuing this book, I suggest reading it rather than listening to it.

I was excited to read this book. The premise of two timelines dealing with queer characters and pulp fiction interested me. Unfortunately, I found that the characters annoyed me. This could have been influenced by the narrators voice. The only saving grace of this book was toward the end when Abby meets an important writer. This is where the interesting historical facts come in. The very end of the book also explains how pulp fiction influenced the writer and how it was historically tied to important LGBTQ+ events in history.  

I didn’t really like the book, though I do think the subject matter was interesting. If you want a fictional introduction to pulp fiction, and it’s historic influences, this might be a place to start for current day teens.

I recommend you read this if you like LGBTQ+ characters, historical fiction that jumps between two timelines, and pulp fiction influences.

Meghan McCabe

Youth Services Librarian

Available at the Langley Adams Library

*Goodreads.com