Synopsis:
Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he’s pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―”for the algorithm”―Misha discovers that it’s not that simple.
As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what’s right―before it’s too late.
Review:
Firstly a massive thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for my eArc of this one!
Tragedy is inevitable. Fortunately, so is joy.
‘Love is real’, the phrase synonymous with author Chuck Tingle is so much more than a mantra, slogan or hashtag, and his latest novel ‘Bury Your Gays’ is the embodiment of the fearless, uncorrupted pledge of emotion that it truly represents. It is not a statement to be marketed, monetised and mass replicated, but instead to be felt wholly – a declaration of joy and peace in a world so often stripped of authenticity. ‘Bury Your Gays’ stands as a bastion of hope, a reminder that no matter how far the world seems to drift away from what it truly means to be human, love will always stand in opposition, a sprinkling of magic that no computer can replicate.
‘Bury Your Gays’ contends itself with dangerously relevant issues in 2024 day-to-day life. Anyone who spends any amount of time analysing, consuming, or creating art most likely views Artificial Intelligence less so now with a sceptic eye and more so through a lens of existential terror. I can only describe it as a multiple-headed beast that seems to be growing additional heads by the minute. Our main character Misha, a Hollywood scriptwriter recently nominated for his first Oscar, lives in a world where those with all the power believe that art and commerce have become one and the same (sound familiar?). The crux of the novel centres around the tussle between Misha’s own creative ideas, stories, and characters born through real life experiences and emotions, and plot directions produced by a computer with the single intention of optimising profit. When Misha refuses to accept that his gay protagonists be killed off, as apparently ‘queer tragedy sells’, matters quickly devolve into chaos.
‘Bury Your Gays’ offers a cautionary tale about being careful what you bring into the world. Just because you could, it does not mean that you should. AI is an all-consuming and dominating presence throughout the story, like a plague sweeping across the lands. It was difficult to read without feeling as if Chuck Tingle is a prophetic being, able to predict our near future, such was the startlingly real possibility to many of the challenges faced by Misha. The story is Frankenstein-esque in relation to creator/ creation relationships. Misha is forced to reckon with creations both of his own hand and of AI, that both grow out of his control in a way that cleverly blurs the lines between fiction, reality and his personal trauma that blends the two together.
Not solely because of the recent rise of AI, ‘Bury Your Gays’ is a timely novel in its relation to pride month. Tingle has created a magical story here that is powered by authenticity, and this is reflected in how queer representation is treated throughout the novel. There is often so much cynicism around queer representation in media and the role that disingenuous commercial profiteering plays in the celebration of pride. ‘Bury Your Gays’ explores this matter with eloquence and humour, but what Tingle also does is show exactly why representation is so important. Tingle shows how characters are more than just figures on a screen or words on the page, they are real life role models that come to life and show you who you really are.
In the same vein of discussing characters that embody authenticity, I would be remiss in discussing this novel without touching on the relationships at the heart of the story. Misha, his best friend Tara, and partner Zeke are the light in this story of looming dark. It would have been easy for Tingle to apply the typical trope where those closest to Misha do not believe his stories of seemingly supernatural events, and so we have the arduous task of enduring as Misha eventually convinces them of the truth. There is none of that. Tara and Zeke believe Misha because why would they not believe the person they love? Sometimes it can be that simple. That is not to say that Tingle portrays unrealistically perfect relationships. Misha has a complex relationship with his own sexuality tied up in the scripts that he writes, and this does create moments of disconnect with Zeke. But like real, genuine people who want to make something last, they attempt to work through it together. My only regret finishing this story was that I could not spend any more time with these wonderful people all together.
In ‘Bury Your Gays’ Chuck Tingle offers a defence for authenticity, for horror, and most importantly for love. Tingle’s argument is raw, it is heartfelt and most of all it is honest to himself. In a piece of art, bared from the soul and unregulated, we have a combination that will in my humble opinion, always remain undefeated.
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