From the star of Peacock’s Queer as Folk and the Netflix series Special comes a darkly witty and touching novel following a gay TV writer with cerebral palsy as he fights addiction and searches for acceptance in an overwhelmingly ableist world.
Elliott appears to be living the dream as a successful TV writer with a doting boyfriend. But behind his Instagram filter of a life, he’s grappling with an intensifying alcohol addiction, he can’t seem to stop cheating on his boyfriend with various sex workers, and his cerebral palsy is making him feel like gay Shrek.
After falling down a rabbit hole of sex, drinking, and Hollywood backstabbing, Elliott decides to limp his way towards redemption. But facing your demons is easier said than done.
Candid, biting, and refreshingly real, Just by Looking at Him is an incisive commentary on gay life, a heart-centered, laugh-out-loud exploration of self, and a rare insight into life as a person with disabilities.
The Review
What is the opposite of self-aware but like AWARE ENOUGH?
JUST BY LOOKING AT HIM is funny. It’s hilarious actually.
I don’t usually reach for humor in books but this is exactly what I needed this past week. It put a smile on my face more than once and I actually laughed out loud.
Our main character has cerebral palsy, a questionable addiction to -well, lots of things, and is bored in his relationship with his live-in boyfriend-Gus.
He decides to foray into the hiring of sex workers and we get to be a fly on the wall all in this new novel by Ryan O’Connell.
I could not put it down.
Hilarious, sharp, and steamier than one could hope for, I really had a good time with this one.
If I was your TBR Dr. 👩🏽⚕️ I’d prescribe this book as recommended reading to lighten your mood and lol. It feels like a really long conversation with a good friend who is catching you up on their shenanigans.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Netgalley, and Atria Books for the advanced copy!
Out June 7th!
