A review by ehomant
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan

challenging emotional reflective tense 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

4.25

werk, contemporary queer literary fiction!!!!!! nothing I love more than a lit fic about complicated queer people and our complicated lives. in much the same vein as other faves in this micro-genre (nevada; detransition, baby; dykette; etc) Dinan brings us an endearing and relatable cast of characters. as Max writes in her own poetry, "no person is fewer than two things"--a beautiful statement a la "I contain multitudes" that is, likewise, much more complex to negotiate and understand in practice. I could see the big reveal coming from the start, so it wasn't a surprise, but was still narratively powerful and compelling. this novel explores the interesting stage of an early relationship where you begin to learn more complicated, sometimes unsavory things about your partner's past, and the difficult process of reconciling these truths with your understanding of them. it also explores the idea of what it means to be accountable for our actions, and to change and grow--should we be punished for poor decisions we made as a young person who didn't yet know better? what does it mean to truly take accountability? how do we demonstrate our personal growth and character? what tf is up with so-called "cancel culture?" the audiobook was also excellent, with two narrators alternating Max and Vincent's stories.