Emily Breitkopf
BENJAMIN LEFEBVRE, IN THE KEY OF DALE.
VANCOUVER: ARSENAL PULP PRESS, 2022. $18.95.
In The Key of Dale by Benjamin Lefebvre was everything I wanted and more from a charming, queer coming-of-age story. Dale––a sixteen-year-old music prodigy has found comfort in being the quiet invisible kid at his school. When he is unable to locate his father’s grave at the cemetery, he starts writing letters addressed to his father to share all the things he wishes he could say to his family. At school Dale meets a boy named Rusty and begins to grow feelings for him, which leads him to stumble across a family secret that forces him to open up in a way he never thought he would.
I loved everything about this story and found myself unable to put it down, and finished it in two sittings. As a main character, Dale had so much depth. I instantly fell in love with him and was rooting for him throughout the entire novel. Having this novel written in letters to Dale’s father allows Dale to truly be himself and provides a freedom in the narration that fits perfectly for a coming-of-age story. The style of the letters allow Dale to be more open and reveal what he otherwise wouldn’t admit. He writes,“before things degenerated into ways I’d never admit to anyone alive: wankidextrious (the ability to masturbate with either hand), newdity (the novelty of seeing someone naked for the first time).” This also allows for so many humorous moments of Dale admitting embarrassing things that, had it not been in letters, the reader might otherwise not have gotten to hear.
The issues and topics that In The Key of Dale tackles like grief, identity, parental tensions, and just simply being a teen, were done so beautifully and in a way that I, as a reader, could connect to. The way all of these elements are incorporated into Dale’s life and how Dale grows through them felt so true to what I can recall experiencing in my own teen years. One of the biggest things about these topics that I loved was the way the secondary characters around Dale impacted them. Every side character––whether it was Dale’s mom, his stepbrother Gonzo, his uncles, Rusty, or any of Dale’s other friends––felt so incredibly authentic. Dale’s relationship with his mother stood out to me the most because while I had trouble not growing frustrated with her, I also understood her role as his mother. Yet, at the same time I also understood where Dale was coming from especially in moments of reflection such as, “The fact that we’re different isn’t the problem––it’s that she can’t fathom anyone perceiving the world differently than she does.” Some of the conversations between Dale and his friends or family, or even the thoughts Dale writes about, are very relatable and thought-provoking, which made me reflect on the relationships I have with the people around me.
The special bond that Dale and Rusty develop was one of my favourite things about this book. Watching as Dale slowly grows more comfortable around Rusty and begins wanting his company is a beautiful thing. The way the relationship between these two develops, while it might not have been typical, felt so right for them. It was uncomfortable at the start, clunky, and often awkward but with Rusty’s patience and Dale’s growth it made sense for the kind of characters Lefebvre had fleshed out.
In The Key of Dale knew how to draw out all my emotions. I often found myself laughing at Rusty and Dale’s absurd game, crying while watching Dale’s growth, or being frustrated with other characters not understanding Dale the way the I had the privilege of understanding him. Through all these emotions there was never a dull moment in this book as Lefebvre creates Dale’s story with perfect pacing and just the right balance of heartbreak, humour, and tension to pull at my heart strings. In the end, Benjamin Lefebvre executed his debut novel In The Key of Dale with perfection and it is a coming-of-age book that everyone should want to read.
Emily Breitkopf
is the publishing and web intern for The Ampersand Review of Writing & Publishing and a 4th-year student in the Creative Writing & Publishing program at Sheridan College. She lives and writes in Scotland, Ontario.