Since the release of the “Stranger Things” finale, I’ve been searching for something to fill the Hawkins-shaped hole in my heart. After indulging a bit (a lot) in fan works, I still itched for something in the “Stranger Things” canon. Then I remembered a long-forgotten Christmas gift from 2022: “Rebel Robin” by A.R. Capetta.
Soon after, I was also reminded of the existence of a “Rebel Robin” podcast somewhere in the ether. Now, I was under the impression that this was just an audiobook featuring Maya Hawke as a narrator. But much to my surprise (and delight), it’s actually a companion fiction podcast to the book! So with much more content than I anticipated ahead of me, I cracked open the book, turned on an 80s album, and got to reading.
“Rebel Robin”
The book takes place during Robin’s sophomore year, which lands around the time of season one. While Will and Barb’s disappearances are mentioned, the majority of the plot is much less supernatural than the show. Throughout her high school career, Robin has mastered the art of becoming invisible. She watches from the sidelines as her peers fall victim to what she calls the “Hawkins monster,” or conformity. Feeling trapped, Robin decides to finally rebel and stumbles headfirst into friendship drama and self-discovery.
Right off the bat, I’d like to dub this book “dubiously canon.” It was published in 2021, before the release of season four. While most of it fits into the greater lore of “Stranger Things,” there are a few bits and pieces that have since been contradicted. I find it funny that despite the show having only a few lines describing Robin’s mother, she still doesn’t quite line up with the book. There’s also a significant focus on Robin’s pre-season three friends, which is fascinating considering how little she mentions them in the later seasons (a.k.a. literally never). Even something as small as Tammy Thompson’s hair color clashes with the main canon. But I knew going into the book that it wouldn’t be entirely accurate. I mean, the Duffer brothers themselves have retconned details in their own show, so I wasn’t too bothered.
First Impressions
The first thought I had when starting the book was that Capetta nails Robin’s voice. Her narration feels precisely like sophomore Robin: still sarcastic, but with all the extra teenage dramatics that come with being fifteen. Keep in mind, this is not the Robin we’re familiar with in the show. This Robin keeps her head down and blends in with the high school crowd. She wears bright clothes and (somehow) lets her friend convince her to get a perm. Exploring Robin prior to her grungy look and defiant attitude was bizarre. If it wasn’t for the distinctly Robin narration, I almost would have thought her a different character altogether. But that’s what’s so fun about this book: seeing the development of her identity, and watching it slowly shape into something more recognizable.
Isolation in Queerness
Part of that identity-discovery for Robin is her sexuality. Not to spoil a major plot point or anything, but Robin isn’t straight. Okay fine, you definitely already knew that, but Robin actually doesn’t – yet. For much of the book, she feels a shapeless sense of otherness, for reasons she can’t quite place. She’s so focused on disappearing into the crowd, surviving the monster, that she can’t see that part of herself. All she knows is she’s different.
That abstract feeling – not quite ostracization, but simply a separation from her peers – is what pulled me in from the get-go. Robin’s emotions feel so true to the experience of being a fifteen-year-old girl on the cusp of a life-altering realization. And not just that of her sexuality, but also simply finding and forging her own place in the world – especially in a world that doesn’t accept her.
“Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins”
The fiction podcast takes place around the middle third of the book. It’s almost entirely comprised of conversations between Robin and her English teacher, Mr. Hauser, who offers his classroom as a lunchtime refuge. Each episode references a different literary work, kudos to Robin’s status as a massive literature nerd, and eventually derails into other topics, usually surrounding Robin’s desire to escape Hawkins.
I honestly didn’t expect to like “Surviving Hawkins” as much as I did. I went into it thinking there would be more variety in the scenes and was originally put off by the limited environment. But by the second episode, I completely forgot my initial disappointment. Maya Hawke’s performance is perfect – duh, she’s quite literally Robin – and Sean Maher is fantastic opposite her. I’ve found myself wishing Mr. Hauser could have made an appearance in the final season. It wouldn’t have made much sense, but his character is just so charming, it’s hard to want to say goodbye. Their quick banter about literature and the woes of high school kept me queuing up the next episode instead of doing work on more than one occasion.
What I find fascinating about the podcast, though, is that there are a few moments that contradict the book. One of these scenes is actually a somewhat pivotal moment in both plots, each approached very differently. It’s hard to know which should be considered the “true” storyline, considering how closely related these two projects are. I should probably be annoyed by this, but I find it delightfully endearing that even “Rebel Robin” can’t get its own canon straight.
Conclusion
All in all, I really enjoyed exploring the mini-universe of “Rebel Robin.” Despite its flaws, it’s a fun, frustrating, and engaging ride. Robin is stubborn and exasperating sometimes, but that makes her all the more interesting to follow. Little moments featuring other “Stranger Things” characters are thrown in from time to time, too, making Hawkins feel like a real small town, where everybody knows everybody. “Rebel Robin” builds on the canon in a fondly eccentric way, and I had a wonderful time. It truly served its purpose well. I got to revisit Hawkins one more time, filling the empty space the finale left behind – if only for a little while.
Find “Rebel Robin” by A.R. Capetta online or at your local bookstore, and listen to “Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins” anywhere they have podcasts.
Check out Kaden’s latest article about “Resident Evil: Requiem” here!
