Old Enough
is bi author Hayley Jakobson’s debut novel, featuring as its protagonist a bi college sophomore named Savannah “Sav” Henry. It was published by Dutton in 2023.
Halfway through her sophomore year of college, Sav’s life becomes a whirlwind of chaos: First, she’s finally — and happily — out as bisexual. Second, she’s pushing out of her comfort zone and making new (queer) friends at school, a process that’s equal parts awkward and gratifying. Then, she meets Wes, a classmate in her Gender and Sexuality Studies 101 course, and immediately starts crushing on them, much to her friends’ delight.
And then, as if all that wasn’t enough, there’s also her childhood friend Izzie back home, who’s just got engaged. Sav is, of course, expected to attend the wedding, which wouldn’t be so bad if Sav and Izzie were still close, or if Sav didn’t have a murky, uncomfortable past with Izzie’s older brother (one that she doesn’t want to think about now, at school). It’s hard to be excited about the wedding, though Sav knows she should be happy for Izzie. The guilt and shame over these mixed feelings and how much she can be truthful about them are eating Sav alive.
Taking place over the spring semester, Old Enough follows Sav as she faces her past, starts to figure out who she is in the present, and begins to think about who she wants to be in the future. It tackles themes of trauma, sexual assault, justice, gender, sexuality, coming of age, authenticity, and the many intersectional ways that these subjects connect. Given the depth, complexity, and pain in some of these themes, and the fact that the novel opens with a content warning about sexual assault, Old Enough is labelled as general fiction, intended for adults.
In terms of bi representation, Sav is out as bisexual before the start of the novel. She realized she was bi in high school, after an argument with Izzie. The two were always together before their fight, and in silence afterwards, Sav had the time and space to explore her sexuality. Though the fight was painful at the time, Sav and Izzie later reconnect; by college, Sav thinks of that fight almost gratefully, calling it “the impetus” for figuring out why she experienced incredibly strong bonds with girls alongside crushes on boys. The answer? Bisexuality.
Beyond Sav, there’s a variety of queer representation in Old Enough, with characters identifying as queer, lesbian, nonbinary, gay, and more; there’s substantial dialogue around gender, and one of Sav’s friends, Candace, uses she/they pronouns, between which author Jakobson seamlessly transitions. There’s also another bisexual character, a Black man named Ellis, who’s in a polyamorous relationship with Sav’s friend Vera. He’s a minor character and appears only a few times.
Much of Old Enough is not about bisexuality specifically, despite having a bi protagonist. This is, in part, because Sav’s sexuality is one piece of her multifaceted life. Most of the plot deals with the process of coming to terms with sexual assault and unwinding shame. Sav’s arc is focused on learning what it means to be your true self in sexuality, friendships, relationships, and more. As Sav discovers, growing up can be difficult, and it can sometimes mean big changes, but the most important thing is staying true to what you value.