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A review by courtofsmutandstuff
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This book is not for the Gatsby purists, but it is the book for you if you're looking for a very Queer Gatsby. I always read Nick as bisexual, and really liked the idea of "Self-Made Boys" literally meaning that Gatsby and Nick are trans, and the book establishes such a core queer community that has big found family energy.
I don't however feel that Gatsby works as a YA age group. Tom is 21; Gatsby, Daisy, and Jordan are 18; and Nick is 17. The crazy amount of wealth Gatsby generates and the required age adjustments for Gatsby to have served in the war didn't really work for me, and it felt forced. I did like some adjustments (Myrtle had brothers rather than a husband, Daisy and Tom being engaged to be engaged), but the age always felt like a sticking point for me in most plot points.
I do like the brand new aspects, in particular the pearl necklace storyline and the intrigue around that. I also like that our core characters have a happy ending.
The book is mainly concerned with Nick's identities (trans and Latino) and how that intersects with the people he interacts with. He often thinks the phrase "boys like me" or "boys like us", and he is hyperaware of how he is not welcome in spaces or the joy of finding himself welcomed in places, particularly with Daisy passing as white. This really dominated the text for me in a way that seemed circular rather than progressive (moving Nick's character forward), but he is also only 17 and in a historically dangerous space for him. I also know this book is really going to speak to a certain reader, and just because the book didn't sing for me doesn't mean it won't sing for them.
I don't however feel that Gatsby works as a YA age group. Tom is 21; Gatsby, Daisy, and Jordan are 18; and Nick is 17. The crazy amount of wealth Gatsby generates and the required age adjustments for Gatsby to have served in the war didn't really work for me, and it felt forced. I did like some adjustments (Myrtle had brothers rather than a husband, Daisy and Tom being engaged to be engaged), but the age always felt like a sticking point for me in most plot points.
I do like the brand new aspects, in particular the pearl necklace storyline and the intrigue around that. I also like that our core characters have a happy ending.
The book is mainly concerned with Nick's identities (trans and Latino) and how that intersects with the people he interacts with. He often thinks the phrase "boys like me" or "boys like us", and he is hyperaware of how he is not welcome in spaces or the joy of finding himself welcomed in places, particularly with Daisy passing as white. This really dominated the text for me in a way that seemed circular rather than progressive (moving Nick's character forward), but he is also only 17 and in a historically dangerous space for him. I also know this book is really going to speak to a certain reader, and just because the book didn't sing for me doesn't mean it won't sing for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism