An Epic Construct

Ugh, maybe there’s a reason “don’t judge a book by its cover” exists as a concept. But I don’t think that’s the issue. Maybe it should be, “don’t judge art by its marketing.”

Anymore, though, marketing is given, if not equal weight with the work itself, at the very least a huge impact on a given piece of media. And while I’ve defended movies, books, plays, etc., that have gotten a bad reputation on the back of crappy promotional efforts, I also don’t really judge or blame people who don’t want to take the effort to go beyond what they’re presented. It’s not like it’s the consumer’s fault the very people tasked with presenting a piece of art’s best facets to the world failed miserably.

All of which is to say, you should go into this book with your eyes open. This is not a happy-go-lucky romance, with a quick meet-cute and maybe a little tension and probably a dog or a cat for some antics, but ultimately it’s a straight shot with but a speed bump or two along a defined path to Love.

There’s romance involved, to an extent, but more accurately this a book about coming to terms with one’s queer identity, and how to navigate that alongside others.

Trigger warnings for parental issues, some intense self-loathing and depression.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler alert (the titular “epic construct” turns out to have been gender all along, presumably with the candlestick in the conservatory) to say that I can’t even give you a straight (or not-straight) gender pairing in the tags.

But I will say that the book seems an honest recounting of people who are having all sorts of gender feels. It painstakingly earns its twist (though tbh much like an M. Night movie, if you’re even slightly paying attention it’s not much of a reveal), and there’s a surprisingly broad spectrum of queer identities plumbed.

I had trouble trying to figure out who I’d recommend this book to. Maybe baby gays (and bis-es, and trans-es, etc.), for the solidarity note that you are not alone in figuring this out and gender is hard? 

I’d almost wish to be able to give it to every cis person who doesn’t understand that figuring out what gender box to tick (or pics to swipe on, for relationships) isn’t easy for everyone, but it is the case that the Venn diagram people who would most benefit from reading the book and those who never would is devastatingly close to a circle.

So if you’re looking for a gender exploration / queer awakening narrative, this might be up your alley. If you’re looking more for a straightforward romance, well, there’s the whole rest of the website to explore.