I have been trying to dip further into queer fiction and literature outside your raunchy Heated Rivalry types or your Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda sorts. And along came Paul…
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by American writer Andrea Lawlor (they/them) follows 23-year-old Paul on his romps through the pungent 90s America from university towns to meccas of queer culture. All the while, Paul uses a secret power to shapeshift to explore every nook and cranny of what sex has to offer – growing a comically large cock for eye-bangers in leather bars to fanning wet flaps for a butch vegan punk girlfriend.
It took Lawlor 15 years to write their debut and is a love letter to being queer in the 90s. With rich cultural insights, it felt like reading the gospel of my queer forebears. This picaresque is for the gluttons for cultural deep cuts and messy queers. It does come at the sacrifice of plot-driving action, making Paul primarily character and culture driven. It has made me want to get into making mixtapes or a Spotify playlist for a crush.
Unlikable and at times a complete asshole, Paul reflects a lot of my silent sexual views and practices that I don’t even catch myself thinking. His journey shows the consequences of avoidance follow you but you can’t help but still envy him.
And, my god, is this book is appetisingly HOT. It doesn’t shy away from sexual wants and kinks that come with being genderfluid. Paul’s sex life read as dirty, dark, wet and plentiful, capturing queer sex quite perfectly.