BRB always blows me away. Such a moving reading experience. Every story just as incredible as the next. Brilliant writing of queer & indigenous longinBRB always blows me away. Such a moving reading experience. Every story just as incredible as the next. Brilliant writing of queer & indigenous longing, desire, sentimentality, and joy. The complexities of his characters lives are written with superb craft and skill. I was so lost within each story and cared so deeply for each characters situation and journey. No one captures queer tenderness with such poetic force like Belcourt. The reflection of queer and indigenous life here is monumental and an indelible record of our current moment. Books like this are a reminder of the potential and beauty of literature. ...more
As soon as I read the synopsis for this essay collection, I knew it was totally in my wheelhouse -- I mean, essays about books, reading, writing, memoAs soon as I read the synopsis for this essay collection, I knew it was totally in my wheelhouse -- I mean, essays about books, reading, writing, memory, the self? Sign me the f up! Which is why I acquired and read it as fast as I possibly could. I'm delighted to say that it was an extremely pleasurable and thought provoking collection to read and my already high expectations were far exceeded.
Elisa Gabbert writes with such fervor, tact, and intellectual curiosity of the things in life that interest her and she is passionate about. This made for every essay being just as compelling, insightful, and a joy to read as the last. Her ability to take two or sometimes three seemingly different topics and weave them together with near seamless prose over the course of a long essay was incredible and stunning. I really admire the amount of research and time that most likely went into each essay and how well it was conveyed on the page.
This is a book for bookish people. In my mind, each essay was the equivalent of Gabbert grabbing my hand as the reader and taking me on an evening stroll to show me the inner workings of her mind and perspective. She's a writer who isn't afraid to think deeply, connect the dots, and then succeed in putting those words to the page for us to ponder and also think deeply about. This is definitely a new favorite and I'm super excited to read more of her work....more
Anyone’s Ghost is a tender, unforgettable coming of age novel and a completely surprising debut; August Thompson’s writing was so well executed and seAnyone’s Ghost is a tender, unforgettable coming of age novel and a completely surprising debut; August Thompson’s writing was so well executed and self-assured. I couldn’t stop highlighting passage after passage because of how he so perfectly captured moments of high emotional intensity and softly devastating reflection in the characters’ lives. I raced through the pages of Theron and Jake’s beautiful and achingly tragic love story, the tension hardly ever letting up. This novel was a reminder of how foolish and lucky we are in this life if we are allowed to love another person with such passion and verve.
The early parts of the narrative brought me right back to the heartbreak and destruction of being a queer teenager and wanting desperately to be loved and seen by another human being. The later parts of the novel when Theron and Jake are in their 20s reminded me of the perspective that is given with time, and the beauty and sadness of growing older and further from the people we once were in our younger years. I'm always in awe of books that make me pause and be as thoughtful and reflective about my own life as this one did. It was a deeply felt and relatable reading experience for me. Right book, right time - I’m so glad it came along for me to pick up and get lost in....more
State of Paradise is an unsettling and incredibly well-written foray into the darkest recesses of the mind and our current moment. Told in interconnecState of Paradise is an unsettling and incredibly well-written foray into the darkest recesses of the mind and our current moment. Told in interconnected stories/vignettes, Laura van den Berg brilliantly blurs the lines between reality and unreality. This creates for the reader a foreboding feeling of the uncanny and the accompanying dread and grief that lurks behind each new day of our technologically dependent and increasingly dystopian world. The state of Florida, much as in Lauren Groff's famously titled story collection, is used as metaphor for humankind's aptitude for imposing ourselves onto the natural world — whether we should be here or not.
Laura van den Berg, through an unmatchable prose style and skillful storytelling, portrays the similarities between the environment, society, and the self through our collective descent into increasing chaos, confusion, and instability. All of this under late stage capitalism, mass surveillance/encroaching technology, and the increasing threat of climate change, she touches a lot of ground without it ever feeling overdone. This novel was a perfect blend of realistic, weird, and science fiction. You don't read this for the warm and fuzzies, but this has truly been one of the best new releases of 2024 and a must-read for anyone who has felt themselves living in a warped simulation post-pandemic.
Readers of Ling Ma and Jenny Offill look no further. ...more
As far as queer coming of age stories go, Hombrecito is a wonder and an extraordinary reading experience that I cherished deeply. Anyone who has strugAs far as queer coming of age stories go, Hombrecito is a wonder and an extraordinary reading experience that I cherished deeply. Anyone who has struggled to understand their place in the world and come to terms with the concept of family and home will see a part of themselves reflected in this book. How do we negotiate between how the people we love see us and the person we truly are? How do our relationships with our families and the things that happen to us in our early lives impact the contours and ultimately the trajectory of our lives?
In the novel, Santiago Jose Sanchez takes us on a journey through various seasons of the protagonist of the same name's life in at times profound and surreal detail. The prose here was remarkable and I was absolutely in awe of Sanchez's craft and style. In each section, we are shown a collection of images and scenes from childhood to adulthood: Santiago's beginnings with their mother and brother in Columbia, their big move to Miami when Santiago was a child, and subsequent moves through time in being a teenager seeking love, to adulthood in New York City, and a visit back to Columbia with their mother.
Each indelible moment in the narrative, both big and seemingly small, builds upon the next to shape and mold Santiago's life. Central to the novel was Santiago's growth as a queer child into a queer adult and how this pulls them in directions through time and distance that are different from Santiago's family - something I felt was all too relatable. Here, I was reminded of how the events of our lives are impressed upon us in all of their sharp and at times frightening intensity. It's these events that ultimately effect the ways in which we seek family, belonging, and a sense of home in life and how our vision of these concepts can be simultaneously blurry and presented to us in wide-eyed clarity. Overall, the novel was brilliant and I highly recommend if you're looking for a moving and complex coming of age story! This will definitely be for readers of Ocean Vuong and Justin Torres....more
Wow! This book was HOT. A steamy and dazzling meditation on art, destruction, and survival in the McCarthy era and beyond, The Future is Color is primWow! This book was HOT. A steamy and dazzling meditation on art, destruction, and survival in the McCarthy era and beyond, The Future is Color is prime example of queer historical fiction done right: beautifully rendered with an eye bent toward the present. Embedded in this history is a moving story of a gay man as he navigates queer life through the 1940-50s and on.
This novel really gave me a perspective on how queer people might have moved through the violence of this period with police raids, whistleblowers, etc. However, it also shows how they could have thrived within the secrecy of the margins; hookups, falling in and out of love, heartbreak, losing people - living full and vivid lives in all their fear and complexity. Patrick Nathan brings these three-dimensional characters to the page in stunning detail, most notably the protagonist George and Madeleine, the wealthy actress who lures him into her sphere of parties and fast living. This made the novel feel like a true portrayal of queer lives and stories that were silenced by the prejudice of the era.
Nathan's poetic and cinematic prose also glides the reader effortlessly through the narrative. The way he captures the tone and mood of LA noir - in all its sun, heat and dread, black and white on the silver screen - was pitch perfect and really impressive. If you've been looking for more queer historical fiction like I have, this will be for you. Authors like Patrick Nathan are making sure the lit gays are being fed (lol)....more
In Tongues is one of those rare slice-of-life novels that exceeded my expectations at every turn - with every passage, character, and scene so real anIn Tongues is one of those rare slice-of-life novels that exceeded my expectations at every turn - with every passage, character, and scene so real and true, I couldn't put it down. I don’t think I’ve read a queer lit fic novel quite like this and I feel like it's a book I've been waiting my whole life to read.
The narrative focuses mainly on the daily, ordinary events and relationships that shape a life: subtle dramas and tensions; messy decisions that lead from one event to the next; finding out about the kindness and cruelty of other people - and also of ourselves. This book needed no superb drama, dark humor, or wild plot points because it so perfectly and precisely reflects the stuff of life itself. Thomas Grattan writes in prose so crisp, complex, and nuanced, that there was no stopping me from turning the pages to find out what was happening next.
In the novel we follow Gordon, a young gay man who gives up his life in the Midwest during the early aughts to start again in NYC. As he discovers an unforgiving city threatening to swallow him whole, he joins in new circles of friends, employers, and lovers that change the trajectory of his life. As he fumbles his way through these new worlds and relationships, he makes very human, yet very questionable choices. Gordon was one of the most real and complex narrators I've had the pleasure of reading in a while.
Absorbing and atmospheric, this novel focuses on the tensions between what the people around us want vs. what we want for ourselves, family and chosen family, the limits of love and care, the influence of other people on our lives, whether we are the hero or villain in the story of our lives, and so much more. A subtle, profound, and quietly melancholic reading experience.
Thank you to the folks over at FSG & the author for access to the digital arc on NetGalley....more
It’s absolutely fucked up what happened to her and what she went through. I’m so happy but shocked she came out of this alive, with kindness still in It’s absolutely fucked up what happened to her and what she went through. I’m so happy but shocked she came out of this alive, with kindness still in her heart and a lust for life still somewhat in tact. This entire book was so terribly heartbreaking. I think a great many of us would have reacted just the same as she did if not worse if we were put under that much pressure, scrutiny, and surveillance, not to mention abuse from the paparazzi and the culture at large. And the abuse and mistreatment from the people closest to her - that is probably the most awful of it all.
My husband said it perfectly when he described this as a text book case of how the legal system can be used to essentially enslave people. It happened to someone so clearly in the limelight it is unfathomable to think of what happens to people in worse circumstances.
I’m just so glad she is now free and I hope she never has to do anything she doesn’t want to for the rest of her life. She deserves so much peace and happiness. ...more
“Something was ringing inside my head, a fire alarm. You can change your life, you can”
Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky is a perfect coming of age novel. I cou“Something was ringing inside my head, a fire alarm. You can change your life, you can”
Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky is a perfect coming of age novel. I couldn’t have picked a better book to read this summer. First published in 1998 and reprinted by Graywolf in 2006, this hidden gem is way overdue to be republished/reprinted so it can find a whole new era of queer readers (I wish I knew how to make this happen??) it’s definitely got the air of a queer cult classic to it. It felt like a similar reading experience to me as when I read Nevada by Imogen Binnie summer of last year. I will cherish the time I’ve read this for a long time.
Lisicky writes the character of Evan with such complexity and nuance. He brilliantly captures the narrative voice of a 17-year-old gay man trying to come into his own in the world in the early 90s in southern Florida. The prose was so vibrant, melancholic, lush; basically, every page had these knockout sentences where I would sit and marvel at the way Lisicky crafted them. How Florida is depicted was spot on - the hellish heat, the kitschy tourist traps, hotels against a harsh yet at times beautiful landscape. The push and pull of the plot and characters in Evan’s world made the novel’s pacing fantastic.
Naturally, this book brought me right back to being that same age where I knew everything and nothing about myself and the world. When I was impressionable, looking for love, for friends, for a place in the world where I felt safe and I belonged. An era of mistakes, awkwardness, finding a way forward. The cringey thoughts and opinions. This book was perfect to me, I only wish I could have read it earlier in my life.
My only hope is that I can introduce this book to more and more readers. Since it’s out of print, I found my copy at ThriftBooks. It was an ex-library copy and it felt really special knowing it had passed through the hands of so many readers before me. I can’t wait to read more of Lisicky’s work....more
