Enrique “Quique” Luna is the main character of the first young adult novel by Aaron H. Aceves, This Is Why They Hate Us (2022), a coming-of-age story through the lens of a high school senior grappling with unrequited love.
Quique, a seventeen-year-old high school student residing in East Los Angeles, is openly bi, at least to himself and his best friend Fabiola. He's a witty and humorous individual prone to overthinking, often engaging in extensive internal dialogues but never failing to crack jokes that elicit laughter. Quique adapts his behavior based on his company but yearns to be authentically himself around those he loves. Despite his outward humor, he has grappled with mental health issues such as anxiety since eighth grade.
Quique has long been aware of his bisexuality and lives his life in accordance with his sexual preference. He's comfortable with himself, openly acknowledging his attraction to both girls and boys. However, he prefers to keep this aspect of himself private from the rest of the world. Despite his acceptance of his sexuality, Quique has spent the year harboring feelings for his friend Saleem. Upon discovering Saleem's arranged meeting with a girl outside of Los Angeles, Quique resolves to move on.
Now, he grapples not only with the task of letting go of Saleem but also with navigating his family's religious environment and managing intrusive thoughts. While Quique's family isn't particularly religious, his parents hold traditional beliefs, leaving him fearful of their reaction if they were to discover his attraction to boys as well.
To move forward with his life, Quique asks for the help of his best friend Fabiola, who is also bi, to understand that he does not have to hide from the people who support him and to be able to be himself. Having gone through the experience of coming out and identifying as bi makes Quique have one less thing to worry about.
An openly bisexual young adult romantic comedy novel featuring a bi protagonist, written by a bi author, is a rare occurrence.
As I take a hash brown out of the bag, I think about how one of the major upsides of realizing I was bi a couple years ago was being able to come out to my best friend and find out seconds later that she had been keeping the same secret.