Flamer

Flamer (2020) is Mike Curato’s first graphic novel and winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2021. Set in the 1990s, it is a semi-autobiographical story about a teenage boy named Aiden Navarro, who struggles to come to terms with the realization that he is gay during the final weeks of Boy Scouts summer camp. The text explores themes of Self-Acceptance, bullying, Systemic Discrimination, and the challenges of Growing Up as Someone Deemed “Other.” The novel’s artwork is predominantly black and white, but occasionally employs oranges and reds to denote things of symbolic, thematic, or emotional importance. Despite winning awards and receiving positive reviews from critics, because of its inclusion of LGTBQ content, the book was the fourth-most banned and challenged book in 2022, according to the American Library Association (“Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022.” Ala.org.)

This guide refers to the 2020 Henry Holt and Company edition of the text.

Content Warning: The source material contains quotations of racist and anti-gay language. This guide replicates these slurs in direct quotes only where it is necessary to preserve the author’s intended use of language; otherwise it discusses the incidents. The source text also depicts suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

Aiden Navarro is a 14-year-old Filipino American boy attending Boy Scouts summer camp in the year 1995. At school, Aiden is relentlessly bullied about being gay, biracial, and overweight. At home, he has become the de facto caregiver of his younger twin siblings because his parents constantly fight, and his mom experiences depression. He normally enjoys being at camp to escape this; however, this year, things are going less smoothly. Now that most of the other boys have gone through puberty, they constantly talk about sex and body parts, and frequently make anti-gay remarks. On top of this, Aiden has started dreaming about his tentmate, Elias Shaefer.

One of Aiden’s least favorite parts of camp is the communal showers. He worries about his weight, doesn’t want to be seen naked, and doesn’t want people to think he is deliberately looking at them while they’re naked. During one shower, Aiden drops the soap and ends up at Elias’s feet while trying to chase it down. He starts to get an erection and runs out of the shower, faking an injury. That night he has another dream about Elias and begins to realize what the dreams might mean.

Aiden’s best friend is a girl named Violet, whom he met at Christian camp two years previously. Even when he is not at camp, they live far apart and communicate through letters and phone calls. Aiden writes Violet often, and receiving her letters is the highlight of his week. He also forms strong bonds with some of the other boys in his patrol. He is canoe partners with Elias, and they also attend archery class together. He becomes good friends with a boy named David Green as they bond over X-Men comics and their fears about high school. One day after their basket-weaving class, Aiden and David cross paths with some boys from another patrol. The boys call Aiden racial and anti-gay slurs. David sticks up for him, but Aiden runs away upset. Back at camp, Mark Jones is confused why Aiden is upset by the anti-gay slur, as it is something guys call one another all the time.

Orienteering class is run by Aiden’s favorite Scout leader, Ted, whom Aiden admires for being so confident and not letting anyone get away with anything. During one of the classes, Aiden faces more anti-gay and racist bullying, but sticks up for himself. Later, he watches the other boys playing volleyball and admires Elias’s body. He decides he wants to tell Violet about the dreams he’s been having but worries how she will react. That night, during a campfire singing session, the boys all take turns improvising lyrics to one of the songs. When it is Aiden’s turn, he impersonates a valley girl, which causes the others to laugh at him. Mark tells Aiden that he gives people the impression that he’s gay and that he should stop trying to be so different if he wants people to leave him alone.

Aiden continues to be bullied at orienteering class, making it difficult for him to focus. He gets lost during the first practice exercise, but Ted finds him and gives him some words of support and encouragement. In an attempt to reinvent himself and appear cooler, he copies Ted’s ponytail. This upsets Mark, who thinks Aiden is trying to be different to seek attention. The two fight, and Aiden knocks one of Mark’s teeth out. The fight is interrupted by a bear entering camp, but afterwards, both boys are disciplined.

That night, Aiden and Elias sneak out to go canoeing under the stars. They bond over their shared taste in music, and Elias reveals that he is just as anxious about high school as Aiden is. When they return to their tent, Aiden kisses Elias on the cheek. Surprised, Elias pushes him away, and the two go to bed in silence.

The next morning, Elias is gone before Aiden wakes up, and has left the friendship bracelet Aiden made him behind. Aiden feels isolated, confused, and is emotionally overwhelmed. His mood worsens when he learns that Ted has been fired because he was outed as being gay. Aiden’s bad mood alienates his friends, and there is no letter from Violet when the mail comes. He tries to call home, but his parents are busy fighting. He goes to bed early and cycles through negative thoughts; he feels that he will never be safe because he is too short, too overweight, not man enough, not white enough, and not straight enough.

The next morning, he leaves a note on his bed and heads for the chapel. He holds a knife to his wrist, blacks out, and is confronted by a flaming archer claiming to be his soul. The archer convinces him not to die by suicide because there are people who love him, and that it is okay for him to be who he is. Aiden merges with the archer and awakens on the chapel floor feeling content for the first time in months. When he steps outside, he encounters Elias and David, who had become worried and were looking for him. Back at camp, a letter from Violet arrives affirming that she supports him no matter what. That night, Aiden tosses his note into the fire. He contemplates that there will be more struggles to come, but that he wants to keep living and fighting.