Wavelength
In Cale Plett’s fun novel Wavelength, a famous teenage musician sheds their disguise to attend high school in search of authenticity and love.
Facing pressure to remove the helmet that hides their face during their performances, superstar singer Sasha opts instead to run away to finish public high school and come out as nonbinary outside of the spotlight. Their exploratory fashion draws them to a trio of queer friends in a band called Wavelength, including goth-punk Lillian, who is struggling to get over her ex-girlfriend. In spite of their best efforts, Sasha and Lillian fall in love. But the celebrity rumor mill chases after Sasha’s location, and it’s only a matter of time before they will be discovered.
Sasha and Lillian alternate narrating the story, often flipping perspectives in the midst of a conversation or band performance. The technique, while sometimes jarring, ensures emotional closeness to both teenagers. Their connection is immediate, if marked by yearning and turmoil over not wanting a relationship to interfere with Wavelength’s success. And their friend group’s delightful, healthy dynamics are established via teasing banter, constructive call-outs when Lillian lashes out, and heart-to-hearts about intimacy and self-confidence.
The mask Sasha wore in their celebrity days is an overt metaphor for a closeted existence. And some developments strain credulity: Sasha’s first act upon running away is to register for high school in a small town without their parents or guardians co-signing. How they find a place to live is never shared, either. However, the fact that the members of Wavelength “give [Sasha] all the space to be experimental, playful, catastrophic, whoever [they are]” eclipses such plot holes.
Endearing and tender, Wavelength is an immersive novel with wish-fulfillment qualities about celebrity existence, romance, and finding belonging.
Reviewed by
Aimee Jodoin
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
