Jules reviewed Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore
A Great Gatsby?
4 stars
Full disclosure: I've started but never finished The Great Gatsby multiple times. It just hasn't clicked for me yet. So, I have no real connection to the source material other than the retellings and the movie. What drew me to this initially, was the author, Anna-Marie McLemore. Their book, Lakelore, was a really good and fantastical portrayal of struggling to come to terms with the parts of yourself you'd rather keep hidden, while simultaneously being an uplifting story of queer found family and care. I was hoping this would be the same, and I was not disappointed. If anything, the themes are even stronger in Self-Made Boys. It has some of my favorite tropes of found family and mutual pining, while exploring the consequences of multiple types of passing. I really appreciate that McLemore touched on the character's relationships to the war, as well. That's something that has often been …
Full disclosure: I've started but never finished The Great Gatsby multiple times. It just hasn't clicked for me yet. So, I have no real connection to the source material other than the retellings and the movie. What drew me to this initially, was the author, Anna-Marie McLemore. Their book, Lakelore, was a really good and fantastical portrayal of struggling to come to terms with the parts of yourself you'd rather keep hidden, while simultaneously being an uplifting story of queer found family and care. I was hoping this would be the same, and I was not disappointed. If anything, the themes are even stronger in Self-Made Boys. It has some of my favorite tropes of found family and mutual pining, while exploring the consequences of multiple types of passing. I really appreciate that McLemore touched on the character's relationships to the war, as well. That's something that has often been glossed over when people write about the roaring 20s.
I will say, the book is not subtle about some of the topics, but it's a ya novel, so it doesn't need to be. There were also points when I literally said out loud "Oh Nick, nooooo," because he was being almost unrealistically dense. However, the characters manage to be suprisingly layered, the twists made to the familiar story are well-done, and the ending is satisfying and kind. So, I can forgive a little lack of subtlety and some narrative induced foolishness.
The narrators for the audiobook really nail their characters, too. Avi Roque is a fav and they don't dissapoint here, taking on a number of characters with variety and skill, while, Kyla Garcia really nails Daisy, embuing her with a confidence that sometimes comes off as self-assured to a fault, but never totally unlikeable.
Highly recommended for any readers of ya who like a good remix of a classic, especially one that makes everything 100% gayer. If you enjoy the format, definitely listen to the audiobook.
