Blackouts

This experimental book provided me such a unique reading experience! Centered around the friendship and ongoing conversation of these two men, this fictional book interweaves literature, queer history, the dark past of psychology in regards to queer identities, and Puerto Rican lore. This is all done through a variety of storytelling techniques where both men encourage each other to lie and embellish the stories to make them interesting and compelling; I especially enjoyed the scenes they described and composed as if they were directing a movie. The storytelling wasn't linear or perfect, but felt messy, organic, and genuine. Although the main characters in this story are fictional, many of the topics and historical figures they talk about are not. I enjoyed the book a lot, but mostly their stories guided me towards different rabbit holes I could get lost in as I learnt about the historical context this story wanted to capture. The use of photos and black out poetry based on the text of the Sex Variants truly enhanced the experience and provided insights into the stories being told. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but since this book walks the line between fiction and nonfiction, I didn't find it as easy to read it for long periods of time.