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

challenging 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

3.75

A clever and funny introspection into the many facets of identity, especially the fluidity of gender and sexuality, and the ways in which we take different forms (but literally and figuratively) as part of a never ending search to find ourselves and to please others.
The story follows Paul, a gay college student in the nineties in the Midwest, who inexplicably is able to transform his body with mere thought, often doing so in the pursuit of various sexual exploits.
Lawlor expertly weaves anecdotes of Paul’s escapades into self discovery with references to various fables and folktales involving creatures which are able to take various forms, adding an interesting magical quality to an otherwise gritty, often meandering tale.
While I enjoyed Paul’s inner world and grew to empathize with him as well as laugh at his musings, I often found myself lost trying to find the threads of a plot, and felt that I could have stopped at any point without any sort of stakes driving me to the end.
If you’re a fan of the absurd and favor character and conceit over plot, I think you’ll enjoy this novel, especially if you’re looking for something that is unapologetically queer and questions the rules of society that bind us all. 


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