Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I’d rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

I really disliked this book. The actions of Paul come off as extremely callous and honestly, sketchy at best. Do not recommend.

Not sure how I feel about this one. I couldn't put it down, but it doesn't really have a plot and it felt like a slog towards the end because of that, despite some beautiful writing and a premise that I absolutely loved. Possibly my own fault for not savouring it, though.

Paul works at a gay club in the '90s, out and proud and dating extravagantly. Paul has a secret, though. He can change his body at will - not only changing his hair or his height, but also his sex.

I wanted to love this book so, so much. I am here for gender bending. I am here for intense film nerdery. I am here for grungy bar basements and music festivals and '90s nostalgia. But at a third of the way through the book with a plot barely visible, I had to give up.

I don't know if this changes by the end of the book, but there was not nearly the level of introspection about and playing with gender as I'd hoped. It was less "gender is a construct" and more "I have boobs now." And unfortunately, a series of sexual encounters doesn't make a plot, even if Paul's body was different each time. Also, several references to pee coming out of the vagina? Maybe I'll try this again someday and see it from another angle.

This book is such a perfect capture of various lgbtq+ communities in the United States in the 80s & 90s that I'd recommend it for that aspect alone. But the main character, who has the ability to shapeshift gender to move more easily within these spaces, really makes for a unique read. It's so hard to believe this is a debut novel because it feels so elegantly written (often about not so elegant topics!) I laughed a lot especially at the beginning.

Actual rating: 3.5

Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this ebook, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tough one to rate. It is without a doubt a very interesting story, and one that is so wholly undefinable.

First and foremost: I believe that this book toes the lines of being ‘exceptionally problematic’, and simply ‘uncensored queer freedom’. Paul is a shapeshifter (expressed in the first few pages), and can stay a man, or become a woman. The fact that he (and I so often wished the pronoun used throughout was “they”) had a voracious sexual appetite for all identifying genders, made many of the intimate scenes seem wrong. Am I out of line to think it super dubious that Paul sleeping with people (queer or not), and lying about his situation, a form of essentially tricking people into having sex with him/her? Example: Paul shifts himself into “Polly”, vagina- and-all, goes to a bar, seduces a lesbian punk-rocker, and gets her to sleep with him/her. Does anyone else find this wrong? That he’s not upfront about the fact that just a few hours ago he was a man? It kind of robs these people of their consent. The female rocker had no idea “Polly” wasn’t, in fact, a full lesbian/bi/etc woman (I mean, I guess you could argue that, this novel having a Sci-Fi twist and all). Would that information have changed anything, though? I don’t know... but it still made me feel icky. And this sort of thing happened constantly throughout Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl. It’s hard to decipher for me: whether I should be disturbed by the blatant disingenuousness, or applaud the fact that it’s all about self-discovery? The book is exceedingly sexually-charged. I have no problems with that, of course, but only the way queerness is somewhat exploited.

I will say that the questions over identity play a huge role here. The way that identity of one’s self is paralleled with the Science Fiction addition of shapeshifting (gender), as well as queer identity... it’s brilliant! Paul/Polly doesn’t know who they are: born a male, but felt more female? Grew into a man (out of convenience?), but still longed for femininity? Valid, insightful questions are thrown in between all the wild humping. The journey of self-discovery is explored in a way I haven’t really seen before; making this one very unique novel.

Paul is not a likable person. He/She/They are frequently crass, judgmental, rude, selfish, childish, stubborn... it’s hard to get on their side. Many of the stray observations of a person’s appearance came off as toxic. Paul/Polly makes a LOT of (for me) problematic comments on stereotypes and identities, whether it be about a gay person, a lesbian, a drag queen, etc. But there are moments of actual depth and growth as we travel through 1990’s America with Paul/Polly. From Iowa City, to Michigan, to Provincetown, to San Francisco and memories of New York... a lot of journeying of the body(ies) and self. I was also not expecting multiple POV’s in this book. It happens so abruptly early on, too: one minute we’re inside the head of Paul, and the next, his best friend Jane’s. It threw me off for a second, because there was no discernible transition. After that, though, it remained Paul/Polly’s POV... I just found it odd to have a sprinkling of another perspective, and then never again.

All-in-all, I’m pleased with the way it ended, but also kind of sad, in a way. It’s certainly a mix of things: hopeful, lonely— ambiguous, for sure, but looking ahead to the unknown future. I still need to unpack my mess of thoughts and emotions during and after reading this...

This book is wild and hypnotic and unusual - it defies categorization, thus staying true to its topic: Can people overcome the compulsion to categorize others? Set in 1993, our protagonist Paul Polydoris is a 22-year-old queer shapeshifter who - sometimes as Paul, sometimes as Polly - explores the gay scene in Iowa City and from there drifts to Boystown, Provincetown and finally to San Francisco. Wrapped in this surging tale full of sex and adventure, there is also a love story: Polly enters a relationship with a lesbian who struggles with the fact that he is a man AND a woman. (Lawlor doesn't use "they" in the narrative, because this option didn't exist in the 90's - the person who is both Paul and Polly is always referred to as "he").

Talking about her debut, non-binary author Andrea Lawlor explained: "I sometimes describe the novel as thinly veiled autobiographical fiction, but of course I am not literally a shapeshifter." (The book also proves that they must have a great sense of humor! :-)) Paul/Polly is torn, because on the one hand, he is happy with who he is and enjoys having sex with different people - this is a sex positive story. On the other hand, he struggles with the fact that (even within the queer community) there is a pressure to conform to certain categories, while he knows that his non-binary, shapeshifting identity is about refusing to do just that.

Lawlor's text vibrates with references to 90's pop and underground culture and radiates the joy of being young, but it also depicts how discrimination and the ravaging AIDS epidemic have been threatening the queer community. On top of that, the author infuse their text with references to Greek mythology, thus balancing the story between a period piece and a story about the human condition as such. "Polydorus" is a common name in Greek mythology, and the adventures and travels of Paul Polydoris, the magical shapeshifter, have an allegorical quality. In addition to that, Lawlor intersperses her narrative with little vignettes, written in different text forms but all reflecting and commenting on the main storyline.

In its unusual narrative approach, the book reminded of Akwaeke Emezi's "Freshwater". At the same time, Paul/Polly would be a great friend for Joshua Whitehead's two-spirited "Jonny Appleseed". All of these books have taught me things I didn't know about, while at the same time just being very good literature. I am curious what Lawlor will write next.

If you judge this book by it's cover, those blurbs tell you everything you need to know. It's a a sex-fueled, gender-bending romp. Somewhere toward the end, Paul/Polly's exploits seemed a little receptive, but overall, a very fun read.

This book is a lot of fun! It's very explicit, though that's obvious from the first line, so it won't come as a shock to the readers. It's hella queer and nostalgic for the 90s gay culture, so will probably be most appealing to LGBT folks in their 30s and 40s. I'm excited to see what Lawlor will do next!

This book was interesting, and I would advocate for it for folks interested in contemporary, queer, speculative literature. That said, it was not the book for me. It was too pop culture referential for my scope of interest.

This is already a classic of LGBTQ+ literature and will remain there. It's a wonderful book--a perfect combination of magical realism and fully realized culture.