I’ve recently read Anita Kelly’s book Something Wild and Wonderful. Oh my, if only this king of writing had been available when I was younger! I love the way Kelly writes, their way of including gender expansive characters without putting lights and a sign up to say, “reader, here is a non-binary character”. Wonderful. It was a joy to read. I felt like I went on the journey with Alexei and Ben. The mix of emotions was palpable. It made me assess my own experiences of coming out, the places where I’ve been included or excluded. 

Walking and therapy

There are so many benefits of walking on our physical and mental health. The movement, being in nature, mindfulness as we get absorbed with an insect. There’s something about being in tune with our bodies too. More aware of how our body feels as we are walking. If we are with others, noticing whether the walking encourages us to open up conversation versus those moments of silence and inner contemplation. I love walking and especially where there are trees. The different colours depending on the time of year, the rustle the leaves make versus the echo in winter when there’s less foliage to absorb the sounds. 

Therapeutic story

Whilst Something Wild and Wonderful isn’t a therapy book per se, I found therapeutic content simply by resonating with the characters in a way that I often don’t in novels consisting of entirely normative characters. The ability to feel seen was impactful and a reminder of all those bruises queer people experience on a daily basis. And that these bruises need caring for afterwards. Sometimes we forget because there are so many of them in a day. If you need help in this area please view this section of the website.

Writing letters to those who have hurt us

I was interested to read the questions at the end of the book. Especially the one regarding Alexei writing letters to his parents but not sending them. I feel the most important part for him was writing them and arriving at his own understanding that he wasn’t abnormal, broken, or flawed simply for being gay. He was able to reach an understanding that the inability to accept and embrace him as he is ultimately lay with his parents. That they made a choice. In many ways he didn’t need to send the letters. He made his choice to embrace who he is. It’s his parent’s responsibility to arrive at their own conclusion. They may not have been able to hear his words in any case.

Many thanks to Anita Kelly for writing – I’ll be reading more of their work soon!