Scan barcode
A review by literarycrushes
Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell
2.0
Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O’Connell has a unique setup. It is about Elliott, a disabled gay TV writer in L.A. who essentially blows up his life in order to enact a necessary change. It was laugh-out-loud funny and had a lot of heart. Elliott is struggling. After six years, his relationship is flatlining. Rather than address this, he strikes up a minor obsession with River Banks, a sex worker he’s (accidentally) referred to by his boss, and a major obsession with alcohol.
O’Connell (a star of Netflix’s Queer as Folk reboot, which is on my to-watch list) style of writing was quippy but sometimes felt like it was written as a series of funny (& borderline mean) tweets that were randomly compiled into a novel. Though I am queer, the novel felt like it was angled to a very specific demographic of privileged gay men which was a bit alienating.
All that considered, it was a good beach read. I really did laugh aloud many times, and I appreciated the calling out of ableism (internalized and generally) in the queer community. My favorite parts were when Elliott addressed his struggles with addiction, and how prevalent alcohol is in a society (maybe even esp. queer society) that views drinking multiple bottles of wine on a weeknight as normal behavior. Would love to discuss!
O’Connell (a star of Netflix’s Queer as Folk reboot, which is on my to-watch list) style of writing was quippy but sometimes felt like it was written as a series of funny (& borderline mean) tweets that were randomly compiled into a novel. Though I am queer, the novel felt like it was angled to a very specific demographic of privileged gay men which was a bit alienating.
All that considered, it was a good beach read. I really did laugh aloud many times, and I appreciated the calling out of ableism (internalized and generally) in the queer community. My favorite parts were when Elliott addressed his struggles with addiction, and how prevalent alcohol is in a society (maybe even esp. queer society) that views drinking multiple bottles of wine on a weeknight as normal behavior. Would love to discuss!