Free Hand

The formatting on the Kindle version was a little wonky when it came to the text messages, and at first I felt like there was a lot of exposition info dump, but it eased up a lot as the book went on. And you know, I think it made sense - Derek works at this tattoo parlor with his “found family” (including his identical twin brother), and they all clearly have very full lives and are involved in each others' lives, and that's lovely.

I don't have any tattoos currently. I really want one, have gone so far as to find artists I'd like to work with in the last two cities I've lived in, but have never been able to pull the trigger. There's something about the permanence that makes me uncomfortable and noncommittal. I finally realized what my problem is, when I was talking to my mom about the art I have on the walls of my home office - I am not super invested in art for art's sake, but when I see something I love, I know immediately and I buy it; whereas, when working with a tattoo artist, you have to build the trust that they will create art that you love, but you haven't seen yet, that will live on you forever. And how do you create trust when you've never worked with that person before!? It's a snake eating its tail situation.

Anyway, I was thinking about this level of trust because the h, Basil, allows Derek to tattoo him without knowing what the outcome will be - knowing that he loves Derek's work, and that Derek will know when the piece is “complete,” allowing it to be a moment of both healing and intimacy, even if they're not sure they will end up together. (Spoiler: this is a romance novel, duh.)

I don't really know what to say beyond this. It's a romance that deals with some heavy issues with, I think, great care. This series features a mostly queer cast, written by an agender author. Many of the characters have disabilities (hearing loss, PTSD, spinal cord injury/wheelchair user), and several push back about their bodies needing to conform to able-bodied norms in order to live normal lives. I really appreciated their stories and perspectives, and probably will get the next book in the series once I catch up on some book club reads.

TW: mentions of panic attacks, mentions of suicide, homophobia from off-page characters, child abuse (past), bullying, death of a romantic partner (past)