A review by msennflinn
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I don't know how to feel about this one, but it's not a good feeling. I knew going into it that this book was not written from a queer perspective, as in the author is a cisgender, straight woman. I went for it anyway, to see what all the hullabaloo was about. While the writing is done well, the actual story sucks. A cis, straight woman writing a tragedy about two queer men and one horrible, awful woman does not stand the test of time. Plenty of other people on here have said it better, but the lack of an OWN voice is on full display in this book. I fear that many people are flocking to this book ten years after its publishing date (and I suppose because it wasn't on US shelves until 2021) because of the movie, starring Harry Styles. While I can appreciate people finding and reading a book after it's been optioned for or made into a movie, the high marks people are giving this one is shocking.

Non-queer authors: please stop writing about queer characters in this way. Better yet, leave it to LGBTQ+ folks to tell these stories.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings