Former indie sleaze girls, this one’s for you. Gabrielle Korn’s Long Island Girls opens in 2005: Susan is driving a car full of friends to see a band called ?? (pronounced “What-What,” naturally), when she’s asked to pick up Eliza, a teen she barely knows, but can’t quite look away from.
Their connection is immediate and electric — but thanks to small-town rumors, it’s also short-lived. Years later, Susan has traded Long Island for Brooklyn and the indie music career she always dreamed of. Then Eliza reappears. Old feelings resurface — as do old complications.
Expect a sharply observed queer coming-of-age story about first love, friendship, and finding yourself, with plenty of 2000s nostalgia to boot. We asked Korn a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…
Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only eat one thing, what would it be?
Korn: Cheese pizza, specifically from Lillian's in Forest Hills, Queens. Actually, I would eat this for every meal forever — even if I wasn't stranded on a desert island.
Q: What's one unpopular opinion you have?
Korn: The correct amount of sleep is 10 hours.
Q: What’s one thing that’s made you 10% happier?
Korn: Growing herbs in my garden. It is so satisfying to just run out to the yard and snip some cilantro. It makes me feel like I've really accomplished something.
Q: What’s the last thing you read that you can’t stop thinking about?
Korn: Love Me Tender by Constance Debré. The story itself is sticking with me — a French woman leaves her husband and career in order to pursue freedom and lesbianism, losing custody of her son in the process — but what I really can't stop thinking about is the author's use of language.
She uses commas like I'm doing in this sentence, she writes so sparsely but also so vividly, she relays entire passages in a single long sentence, the end result is gut-wrenching, I wish I could write like her, but instead I'll just recommend the book to everyone I know.
Q: What's your favorite unapologetic indulgence?
Korn: I'm an absolute sucker for all those YA TV shows — The Summer I Turned Pretty, Tell Me Lies, Off Campus. And I won't be apologizing for it.
Q: What’s the one thing you can't leave the house without?
Korn: Sunscreen. Especially from Tower28, which is so gentle on my sensitive skin.
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