Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

Lawlor’s novel gave me the best gift a book can offer: it changed my mind halfway through.

I had been so intrigued by the premise of a shapeshifting character who can change their gender at will, that I forced myself to read on even though I wasn’t enjoying the emphasis on sex, especially as conquest, and I was sorely disappointed the story didn’t seem to go deeper.

But as I continued, I was happy to be proven wrong. By the end of the novel, I was checking my own biases and prejudices and empathizing deeply with Paul and his/her/their struggles.… show more.

This is a book for shapeshifters, flaneurs, adventurers, queers of all kinds, people who long for the world to crack open and deliver us a polymorphous adventure. I have rarely felt that a book was speaking so directly to me. I read the entire thing on an airplane to Paris and have spent the next five years thinking about it. Paul is the perfect protagonist for me, because his desires make him curious, and he pursues whatever the next thing is without fear or hesitation. This book gave me a gentle reminder to be brave in my choices, and also… show more.

In my opinion, the Gays have more fun and Lawlor’s book is proof of this. “Orlando” by way of every Queer political, social, and romantic arrangement you can imagine, Paul’s story is a buffet of attempts to define his/her/their life in a way that rings true. Even in the directionless moments of that journey, there is an electricity in seeing each day as an active choice to readjust who you want to be and how you want to live. In the end, Paul doesn’t provide a clear answer as to what that should look like but rather relishes in how… show more.