Book Review: ‘Sky Court’ Takes on Queer Coming of Age

Faith Mosley’s new young adult novel, Sky Court, follows 17-year-old Casey Black, who lives with her grandfather in an apartment complex called Sky Court. Casey is a butch lesbian learning to embrace her queerness, and eventually, she branches out and meets a girl named Rowena. When she’s not at school, she works part-time at the
Wise Owl Cafe, a popular spot for locals in the novel.

What makes Mosley’s novel interesting is her overt and touching descriptions of queerness, deception, love, and
pain. The novel kicks in and really hits its stride with an accident involving two high school basketball stars, Steve Jones and Trevor Morrison that also live in Casey’s complex. They were found with “their pants down” after they had been hit by a drunk driver.

While both boys survived after crashing into a ditch by a popular makeout point, the truth of why they were there adds spice to the story. This detail kicks off an investigation. led by a local cop and his son, Connor. Eventually, Casey, our protagonist befriends the boys and helps them deal with their secret.

The story continues when a young girl named Patricia Dale goes missing. Later, a patron of the Wise Owl Cafe tells her about his woes and his involvement with the accident. When Casey asks her boss about the girl, she is quickly dismissed and told that Patricia is “most likely dead.” I enjoyed the sense of adventure I got from reading Mosley’s novel. While the adventure was a feature of the story, the thrills that came as a result of the investigation really got me interested to learn more about what was going on between those boys. Was Patricia really dead?

Mosley’s focus on racial diversity and inclusion in this young adult novel makes it a comfortable read and it
feels familiar, friendly, and exciting. One of the coolest and most interesting things is that while reading, I also saw Casey grow and challenge herself as a young, Black woman. This story weaves together the trials of being a queer teenager while navigating identity, which is no small feat. Overall, I would give this novel a 4 out of 5. Sky Court is available on Amazon and Bookshop.