Did I read this in the dead of Amsterdam winter? Yes. Should it have been a summer read? Perhaps. Did it momentarily cure my intense seasonal depression? Most definitely.
Wrong Answers Only by Australian author Tobias Madden is a young adult queer coming-of-age starring in-denial gifted child Marco. After a ‘blip’ on the way to start university, Marco is whisked away to a quaint trip on a Mediterranean cruise with a mysterious estranged uncle.
Now obviously it’s YA, so it’s not meaty but it’s not supposed to be. I’ve read Tobias Madden before and his books are the books I wish I had back at the end of high school. I’d especially recommend it to younger queer readers, or anyone wanting something light and affirming.
It has inspired me to seek out more adult fiction of the like, more fun than Less by Andrew Sean Greer but grittier than Wrong Answers Only.
I did tear through it and found a good escape in the absurd rom-com of it all. There were a few plot lines that felt unnecessary because they weren’t full fleshed out. Especially a later storyline involving an entirely expected best friend CeCe. Their presence added noise more than momentum.
Marco is a character that has his problems, for sure, but sometimes his problems did become a little Oh poor pretty boy. Described as someone ‘who can pass as an Italian underwear model’, at times, Marco feels less like a teenager and more like an idealised monster projected from Madden’s 30-something gay perspective. It makes me believe Madden wishes to write something about peer queers.
That all being said, this book is a whole lot of nummy, nummy silliness with high fun and low investment.
Now I do know a certain pansexual woman who DETESTED one of Madden’s other books. They do seem most tuned to gay male experience, so readers outside that lane might want to take it with a grain of salt. But if you’re looking for warmth, romance, and a little absurdity, this one does the job.