Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

This novel reminded me of two other contemporary novels, [b:Black Wave|32800012|Black Wave|Michelle Tea|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477665260l/32800012._SY75_.jpg|45065501] by Michelle Tea (who blurbed this novel) and [b:Heartland|34466598|Heartland|Ana Simo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492481283l/34466598._SX50_.jpg|55586708] by Ana Simo, because all three challenged me in the same way.

All three are written in a careful-breezy style--by that I mean, the writing is quite careful, and in many instances beautiful and poetic, but the voice is crafted to give the impression of near-artlessness.

All three are also about social relationships that aren't show more within the heteronormative and/or cisgender experience, and as such they occupy a space where relatively few novels live, as yet. Authors writing about the cis-het experience can employ all kinds of shorthand in their writing, it seems to me, because readers are already trained to the 'beats' of cis-het relationships in fiction. When almost every novel you've ever read is about cis/het people, then you develop, as a reader, the experience to anticipate almost every possible outcome in relationships between characters. Because the authors of these three novels are interested in exploring non-normative relationships and characters, though, their novels have a lacy quality to me, where I can't see the pattern in relationships from the beginning, and where I have no expectation of what's going to happen next. I was a little lost, fictionally-speaking. It was kind of wonderful.

Just now this novel is my favorite of the three. I thought it was the best written and the most daring. I recommend all three of them though. show less

The god Mercury is alive and this is a truly wonder-filled work! Paul, who is able to change his sexual apparatus and physical features at will, is out to get as much action as he can - is he a sex addict? Perhaps, but Lawlor's story makes us constantly question not only Paul's motives, but our own assumptions when it comes to sexuality and sexual politics. Paul's quest eventually takes him to San Francisco where he finds work in a bookstore - and, catches a glimpse of another fellow shape-shifting entity. Can this be the same person he'd seen before? Will they have any answers for Paul about what they are? The journey is filled with humor and provides us with slyly wise insights into a world we may have thought we understood.

The story of a person who can switch genders at will as well as body parts. It's certainly a strange book but the premise allows the author to talk about how these concepts are somewhat arbitrary.

One annoying aspect of this novel, is that the cultural touchstones, from music, to authors, to filmmakers to cultural theorists are all the same old tired people you. It's like everyone has the same fucking syllabus. It all becomes a cliche after awhile and not interesting. The incessant name-dropping somewhat dates the book.

Nonetheless, Paul is horny as fuck though. Everywhere he is, conveniently, there are always people interested in having sex with him. The single-mindedness is part of the charm but it all gets a little old after awhile. show more There are amusing bits here or there. Snark. The writing is good at times, and some of the sex descriptions are pretty good too. show less

i thought this would be a modern Orlando...but it was...different...this would actually have made for a good slice-of-life anime, and i would watch it ^_^

paul is a queer college student in the US...refers to himself as 'he/him' but loves to present as a gorfeous woman, and is attracted to pretty much all good looking people. he's a pleasure seeker, and like most pleasure seekers in stories, he's really just looking for happiness (sappy! ^_^). but the book is not at all spicy or melodramatic. it was surprisingly sober, every day, and raw. oh, and paul has a secret ability that (i imagine) could have made him the envy of several LGBTQ+ people...another thing that made him different.

2017. Spoilers: novel about Paul who can change sex at will, becoming Polly. Paul is gay and Polly sleeps with women. This strange gimic is used to delve into many queer communities: Iowa City, Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, Provincetown, New York, and San Francisco. Sometimes read as if it was my own life, my own mind. Very on the nose. Smart, cultural critique. Too much drinking and sex for my taste. Aids looms omnipresent as, no doubt, it should. Great soundtrack. IYKYK.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. That said, I'm still thinking about it and that's usually a sign that I value it on some other level than pure enjoyment (and my reason for 4 stars). I will say I found Paul's obsession with clothing a bit much. It was like his outfits and those he described on others were like another character to keep track of. I suppose it jives with the idea that he discards and changes his gender with similar approach. Overall I found his inability to form true relationships sad...he discards them like kleenex as well. Despite the IDEA that he should be closer to people in his life he just can't seem to muster the wherewithall to care about anyone on more than a superficial level. This book reminded me a show more lot of Virginie Despentes's Vernon Subutex novels. They both have the same meandery episodic strange sadness with nods to music and Bukowski rolled in. show less

inhabiting paul was an interesting experience. this is a careless confident confused and queer individual. nothing sticks, no labels, places, people, experiences, everything slips through his nimble fingers. a slippery and engaging read, but made me want something i could grab onto.