A review by rkjreads
Ponyboy by Eliot Duncan

2.25

I struggled with this one a bit. I was tempted to put it down at times, I found the prose difficult but perhaps it's just more poetic than I'm used to. It made things hard to follow at times, and I found some of it a bit cringey although this is consistent with the main character so I can believe it's a stylistic choice.

It follows a trans character struggling with addiction, which for me felt hard to read but again, I believe it's an accurate description of addiction which is all-consuming. I found the exploration of the MC's gender to be intriguing, especially as it intersects with his addiction.
There was a scene about two thirds through where the MC experiences an episode of bulimia which felt out of place. Body image/struggling with food had not come up at all previousy so it seemed to come out of nowhere and was not mentioned again.
There are also a few typos I noticed which took me out of it a bit.

I did start to enjoy it more towards the final quarter of the book which felt more nuanced and grounded, this makes sense given what the MC is experiencing. Overall, I think it paints a strong picture of this character and his struggles through addiction as well as his relationship with gender. Would be interested to read more from this author.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings