Review by grumpyreading - What Is Wrong with You?

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grumpyreading 's review for:

What Is Wrong with You? by Paul Rudnick

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was not for me. A few pages in and I was thrown off by the “humour”. Some of the humour was supposed to be “wrong”, and described as such, but including it did not add to the book at all and I feel it perpetuated unnecessary harm. There was an entire page that was just spewing transphobia, and referring to trans identities as “political vocabulary”, and the main character essentially said “I know this is not right but I like the guy saying it and honestly I’m so glad I don’t have to try to remember pronouns when I’m around him”.

Unfortunately, this first character, Rob, reminds me far too much of the old cis gay white men who frequent the gay bar and think everyone should have it as hard as they did.

Isabelle was the only potentially okay character, but was written in a way that perpetuated stereotypes about queer people in a harmful manner, and was made fun of in ways that are inexcusable. It wasn't a matter of "being in on the joke". The jokes should not have been made.

This book very much demonstrated the difference between queer and gay that is felt in so many gay spaces and I did not enjoy it.

What Is Wrong With You is out March 25, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Content Warnings