Published in: September-October 2013 issue.
Faun
by Trebor Healey
Lethe Press. 275 pages, $18.
AT FIRST GLANCE, Faun looks like a novel for young adults. Despite being labeled “urban fantasy,” the back cover copy describes protagonist Gilberto Rubio’s rapid-onset puberty, which includes a tail, horns, and hoofs, with a lighthearted spin. And that’s fair—when Gil matures further, his sexual impact recalls the magic realism of Like Water For Chocolate mixed with the jizzy beer from American Pie. But that’s just a fraction of the story.