A review by earlydecember
Ponyboy by Eliot Duncan

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ponyboy delves into the eponymous character's struggles with addiction as he embraces his trans-masculine identity and navigates messy queer relationships. The book has an experimental, hybrid form that includes emails, letters, and poems written to writers, philosophers, trans people, and others. 
The prose style can be disorienting since Ponyboy's narrative voice prioritizes emotion and theory over concrete description.
Especially in the first half of the narrative when Ponyboy is in the thick of his addiction and not in a clear state of mind. In the second half, Ponyboy goes to rehab but experiences a relapse. Personally, what sold me is the realistic portrayal of recovery and its setbacks, healing and its discomfort.
As a debut novel, Ponyboy shows great promise, and I am eager to see Duncan's future works. If you're a fan of queer, character-driven stories, I think you'll enjoy Ponyboy too. 

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W Norton for the digital ARC.
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