Monday, July 29, 2024

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Who here doesn’t know about Chuck Tingle? Author of dinosaur erotica, unwitting target of the Rabid Puppies who turned their own hate against them, he is a neurodivergent pink-masked beacon of hope who preaches that love is love. I excitedly read Camp Damascus, his first traditionally published novel last year, and really enjoyed it! It was a tad rough in spots but the story and the message outweighed any minor issues. So I was very excited when NetGalley and the publisher gave me an ARC of his new book, Bury Your Gays, in audiobook format in exchange for an honest review. 


I loved this book! I’m not much of a horror reader, but between T Kingfisher and Chuck Tingle, I am starting to be a big fan! The protagonist of this book is a Hollywood showrunner who is being forced to kill one of his two leads rather than allow them to have a lesbian romance (hence the title). It is set in a near future where an AI generated performance is nominated for best picture. And when the protagonist balks at killing his characters, suddenly characters from some of his prior movies appear in real life and come after him. The details of his young closeted life and issues with coming out are handled deftly and realistically, and makes me wonder what a non-genre character driven work by this author would look like (Im guessing it would be amazing). 


The resolution of the horror aspects of the plot did not feel 100% earned to me, but this is a minor quibble in an excellent novel. Highly recommend!

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