Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

I find this book quite a hard one to cement my thoughts on…. overall I think it was a decent read but also had quite a few issues too. In it we’re following Paul (/Polly), a twenty two year old old queer person in the early nighties. But he (the character is very likely what we’d call non-binary with they/them pronouns now but Lawlor decides to only use ‘he’ so I will too) is also a shapeshifter, able to change his body and parts and flips between male and female biologically. It’s set first in Iowa city with a more emerging queer scene, but moves to Provincetown and San Francisco where the queer history of these places are more established but obviously different given the New England coastal town and thriving city locations. In these spaces, Paul explores his sexuality and gender identity in a rather eye-opening way trying to categorise himself but ‘failing’ to do so given he really doesn’t know. There’s also little folk-like tales interspersed throughout which I came to read as alternative origin stories of how Paul got his shape shifting powers from and whilst they didn’t really add anything to the story, they were good.

Whilst above is the main plot, it’s in many ways a love letter to the nighties. Lawlor infuses many references to the music, tv and film, books, art and other parts of the culture with a strong focus on queer creators which I revelled in. They at times list these mentions and I had to do so too because the decade was a time of great change with many facets to discover. What’s also great is the inclusion of time-specific mentions as we’re following queer characters and their lives in a time of queer-phobia and the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the eighties following into the early nighties. The best part for me was from the pages 273-278 where Paul is thinking back to his time spent in New York with an old partner as they worked with AIDS organisations and it was just exceptional: the topic, what happened and in a sense the anger and injustice present in that little passage was so hard hitting and despite the theme I loved it.

The book definitely had things to say and messages to put across but they’re cheapened by what I found to be my main criticism of the book. And that’s the hyper fixation on sex. I liked how sex positive and freeing I guess it was to start but when the same things are basically rehashed multiple times it gets boring and rather crude too. Paul’s sexual encounters and ‘victories’ were focused on far too much and it took me out of the story. It’s also clear Lawlor put more detail and emphasis on this then the other passages and descriptions which aren’t bad but I could tell a divide.

Overall, I would recommend this and it’s rather unique but the real meaning and crux of what the author was trying to portray and say was definitely cheapened by what happens for most of the book. It got better as it went along but what had already happened was too much to not allow any higher rating then I’ve given it. It’s possible on a re-read I might get more but unlikely.

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fynn_jls's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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golpesar818's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

my only critique would be the interludes and random short stories unrelated to the plot scattered throughout the book, in my opinion, didn’t do much to advance the story, so i found them a bit distracting. i loved the writing, except the parts that went into literary-academic speak territory, and at times it was too referential (and i say this because a lot of it i wasn’t familiar with!). but the humor, heat, and heartbreak, the subtle magical realism and realness, and the journey through queer history and underground was sublime. oddly, i find myself thinking of paul’s character constantly and his silent judgments of our social world.

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bronzeageholly's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

In one word? Masterful.

Paul/Polly’s character is so well crafted she/he could walk off the page and I wouldn’t know they weren’t real.

This is a book of personal journey, perfect for those who love a flawed protagonist. We drift with Paul/Polly as they tackle passion, grief, guilt, loss, gratitude. We are afloat in the heady haze of existence with them, learning (or not learning) about themselves along the way.

Change is omnipresent for Paul/Polly, most significantly in their gender fluidity but also in friendships, living situations, identity, jobs, relationships, music, and bars.

The short stories that were placed throughout the text were so enticing. They reminded me a lot of Jerome K Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’; the reader is left wondering whether there is something a little more we were meant to get from the tale, another moral left to find, an extra metaphor left to uncover.

All in all, this book is a stunning and unreserved tribute to community, to finding ourselves, to being aware of ourselves, to queer theory and queer love and queer freedom.

((definitely an 18+ read!))

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artstitute's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was slow, quiet, and reflective, and I was happy to settle back and be along for the ride. Paul's kind of a dick, but I have a soft spot for him anyway.

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addie's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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gwarren's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

An interesting take on gender, sexuality and fluidity. Lots of parts I enjoyed, others I felt I was losing a connection with the character more than how it was suggested I should be...

Liked the ambiguity of the ending and the chaos Paul/Polly's life seemed to follow throughout the narrative and appreciated the sex positive, non-binary, shape-shifting protagonist.

Also want to mention how grounded the setting of the story was. There were so many references to 90's pop culture, the LGBT+ community, the AIDS crisis (and it's after effects) and similarities between today's queer youth to then.

Overall, an enjoyable story with lots to sink your teeth into. May read again in the future.

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pkc's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I think any book that gives me so much frustration around the central protagonist will always be annoying and I’ll find it challenging. The premise was wild and the prose was funny in places, but there was little to no character development so I’d say that’s something to bear in mind as you undertake this one.

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