When Natalie turns 18, she decides to leave her tiny, cloistered Canadian town for university in the big city of Toronto. College is a shock; everyone there is happy for hookups and hot times while going to class. Natalie is naïve and tries to become the perfect college student by watching videos, studying how to small talk with others, and changing her fashion tastes to fit the campus style. But none of this makes her feel at ease; she realizes she’s not quite ready to become an adult. As the book’s title suggests, that’s her end goal. Or is it?

When Natalie spends the day in the park after poetry class with her famous professor, she meets up with a real adult who begins to draw her in. And that’s where Bronwyn Fischer’s THE ADULT takes off into a compelling and dramatic debut.

"...a compelling and dramatic debut.... THE ADULT is a fascinating character study of someone who dips their toe into a world they’re not ready to fully comprehend."

Nora, the older woman who approaches Natalie in the park, has an interest in everything Natalie considers important --- poetry, deep talks, the realities of love versus just hooking up. As Natalie is drawn deeper and deeper into Nora’s closed-off world, she realizes that she’s comfortable for the first time since arriving in Toronto. Although Fischer never says it, it’s clear that Nora is considerably older than Natalie. The first time they sleep together, Nora must ensure that Natalie is of legal age.

And so begins a rather heady affair that races forward, through rainy, wintry days and nights, until Natalie goes home for Christmas. Telling her friends that she is dating a guy named Paul, she has managed not to reveal her tryst to anyone. However, returning to her small town creates some issues that help reveal shocking secrets that Nora has been holding onto.

Natalie starts to feel like she’s finally an adult. As that foundation crumbles, she realizes that love is a lot harder than she had originally thought. THE ADULT sits very squarely in Natalie’s mind and gives readers her every thought, feeling and reaction. It works completely; written in first person, her voice is strong, whether she’s confused, angry, tired, disgusted or terrified. The book’s tension is created by the way Natalie tells her story. Her yearnings, fears and desires are all palpable. It is a rare occurrence when a first-time novelist can put readers right square in the middle of someone’s very physiology.

THE ADULT is a fascinating character study of someone who dips their toe into a world they’re not ready to fully comprehend. It’s a great queer love story that will find a rapt audience, particularly during Pride Month, and will raise anticipation for Fischer’s next novel.