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kpur's review against another edition
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
3.0
kyleclavelle's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
transpinestwins's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.0
Paul is the most obnoxious person in your college’s queer social club—or he would be, if he weren’t too self-consciously cool to attend more than a few meetings.
Undeniably well written, and made me laugh as much as it made me cringe in recognition. Paul is deeply flawed but always compelling, and this balance generally worked for me—though sometimes it really didn’t. The degree to which his cruelty and selfishness are ignored by the narrative is frustrating.It never occurs to him that Tony Pinto’s calls might be about an AIDS diagnosis (despite this being painfully obvious to me, given the date and the tenor of the messages)—instead, he flatters himself that his old boyfriend is begging for him back. And why not? Everybody adores Paul, though nobody so much as Paul himself. It’s not a crime to be self-obsessed to the point of blindness towards other people’s feelings, but it does make our hero increasingly hard to love.
All that said, I can’t relate to most of the complaints I’ve seen about this book—I thought the sex scenes were great, hot and effective at what they were trying to invoke, be it pleasure or disgust. Similarly, I don’t mind the lack of explanation around the magic elements(though I wish we had seen/heard more about Diane’s powers) . Lawlor is clearly taking a magical realism approach here, with Paul’s ability to transform being more an extension of his personality than a physical reality. The “how” isn’t the point. Do agree that the ending felt weak, though it might have worked better for me if Derek had more of a presence outside of the last ~20 pages. He’s more of an archetype (a Christopher, or a Ruffles) than a fully realized person (a Diane or a Jane), and he didn’t mean enough to Paul to be the catalyst for Paul’s final moment of self-acceptance—ending a relationship on his own terms, rather than molding himself into what his partner wants him to be.
Undeniably well written, and made me laugh as much as it made me cringe in recognition. Paul is deeply flawed but always compelling, and this balance generally worked for me—though sometimes it really didn’t. The degree to which his cruelty and selfishness are ignored by the narrative is frustrating.
All that said, I can’t relate to most of the complaints I’ve seen about this book—I thought the sex scenes were great, hot and effective at what they were trying to invoke, be it pleasure or disgust. Similarly, I don’t mind the lack of explanation around the magic elements
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
theogb451's review against another edition
4.0
Exceptionally good writing I felt. Easy to read prose and lots of character seeping through but still incredibly witty and literate. In the end I felt like it wasn't quite 5 stars because the ending felt like the book runs out of steam. Lots of little untied stories run through this and while that's fine I'm the sort of basic guy who loves a book to have narrative plot run through it. Still, it's hard to begrudge such an amazing piece of literature its place in deserved praise.
sarapadula's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
cloelia79's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Loved this book - from the concept as a way to discuss gender, to the writing, to capturing a picture of the US queer places at the end of the 80s. A book I will return and reread again and again!
beckallanpoe's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
abbiemeldrum's review against another edition
Loved the premise but the smut was smutting too hard for me
clarkg's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! At first blush, it's about shapeshifting, perception, queer life, and the refusal to be defined by any one thing--whether that be gender, genre, or subculture. Based on this premise alone, I worried that genderbending would be played for shock value, which would have been kind of tired as far as queer fiction goes. Lawlor's prose quickly burned away my misgivings and delivered a sharp, complicating, and tender tableau of queer desire and community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, and Transphobia
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Hate crime
thea_maarup's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
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
3.0
Very interesting for sure, though I had a bit of trouble getting through it. It is a very knowledgeable book and I liked the narrator.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Sexual content