Two Boys Kissing

David Levithan’s 2013 young adult novel Two Boys Kissing is narrated from the perspective of the gay men who died during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. This chorus, resembling that of ancient Greek theater, observes the novel’s present-day characters—several gay teenage boys in neighboring American small towns—as they explore love, relationship, and identity. The central narrative follows two boys, Harry and Craig, who attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest continuous kiss by kissing for 32 hours in front of their high school. Inspired by the historical world-record-breaking kiss by two gay college students in 2010 (College of New Jersey), Levithan’s book presents as a love letter from the LGBT people of the past to the queer youth of the present. Two Boys Kissing was a New York Times Bestseller and a Stonewall Honor Book in Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2014.

This study guide contains mentions of HIV/AIDS, suicide, and anti-gay violence/slurs, and it quotes and obscures Levithan’s use of the f-slur.

Plot Summary

The novel follows eight gay high school boys over the course of a weekend, centering two of the boys’ attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest kiss of over 32 hours.