Bury Your Gays – Chuck Tingle
Calling to mind the glory days of ‘90s horror — think “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer,” “The X-Files” and Kevin Williamson's writing in the “Scream” series — "Bury Your Gays" is a fast-paced, satirical romp through Hollywood’s tenuous relationship with queer characters and creators.
While not aiming for highbrow literature, it offers a perfect mixture of astute social commentary, a dash of camp and a fair amount of meta grievances. We may not know the true identity of Chuck Tingle, but it’s fair to say that like R.F. Kuang and “Yellowface,” he has a proverbial axe to grind with the entertainment machine.
The protagonist, Misha, is a bisexual screenwriter facing a moral dilemma. Let the lesbian characters on his hit streaming series kiss and then kill them, or make them straight and let them live. He is affronted by this blatant example of the "bury your gays" trope that he’s spent his career trying to defy.
As Misha grapples with this decision, his past creations — a smorgasbord of supernatural villains — mysteriously manifest in real life, threatening him and his loved ones. The story unfolds in a very “Scream 3”-esque studio system, where the lines between reality and horror blur, and the bottom line remains all that matters — regardless of the body count.
Between studio pressures and Misha’s own personal demons, the narrative effectively bends genres. Tingle shows remarkable skill in blending laugh-out-loud moments with genuinely unsettling encounters. The "Inspiration" chapters delve into the origins of Misha's characters, adding depth and unexpected emotional resonance.
If I sound surprised by how much I enjoyed “Gays,” it’s because I am.
The author — whose previous works include gay romances, like “Space Raptor Butt Invasion” and “Slammed In the Butt By My Handsome Laundry Detergent Pod” — didn’t seem like one for subtlety, so I was surprised to find a remarkably amount of humanity at the center of the inanity.
The plot gets absolutely ridiculous and convoluted (but surprisingly not that far-fetched), but because Tingle had crafted characters I cared about and villains that unsettled me, I trusted him to take me on this wild ride. The chapter set at the Oscars was one of the most disgustingly enjoyable things I’ve read this year.
"Gays" isn't a literary masterpiece, but it's a thoroughly entertaining read. It’s exactly the kind of novel my closeted, horror-obsessed teenage self would’ve loved.
Fans of horror will appreciate Tingle's unique and respectful approach to the genre, and queer reads will love the exploration of Hollywood's exploitative practices and general corporate greed masked as allyship (perfectly encapsulated in the “Killjoy” chapter).
While the audiobook boasts a full cast of well-known actors and authors, don’t be fooled. André Santana is the star here, and while his performance was fine, it also frequently veered into madcap and uneven territory.
The remaining talent, including Charlie Jane Anders, CJ Leede, Georgia Bird, Liz Kerin, Mara Wilson, Mark Oshiro, Sarah Gailey, Stephen Graham Jones, T. Kingfisher and TJ Klune, show up in some fun interludes that feature many of them being dispatched by one of Misha’s creations.
These moments of gore and humor, paired with top-notch production values, help overcome any shortcomings brought forth by Santana’s performance.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3.5/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: July 13 – July 17, 2024
Multi-tasking: Good to go. While some of the time jumps and plot convulsion can get confusing, this is a relatively easy story to follow regardless of activity.
