A review by violetturtledove
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I'm not totally sure how to review this one as,  while it was entertaining it wasn't entirely my thing, or at least what I was in the mood for. 

It was funny and sweet and gave our book club lots to talk about; there's some interesting characters and thoughts on gender and the setting of the gay scene in 90s America came across very clearly. The issue for me was that, like a queer 'catcher in the rye' it's a coming-of-age tale where a lot of little incidents happen. The incidents might be amusing, gross or entertaining but they just happen one after the other rather than building up to anything. 

Similarly, the fantasy elements aren't ever explained or expanded beyond the initial set up, and while they and the fairytale interludes work well as metaphors about gender and identity (again, good group talking points), for me it felt like more could have been done with this part of it. 

It seems like a very personal story so I don't want to be harsh; I was touched by it and it's a great bodily-fluids-and-all look at youth, identity and sexuality, but I just felt the premise and feeling deserved a little more from the plot.