My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

A refreshingly unique love story from one of the more promising queer writers working today. Middle Spoon will make you laugh, tear up, and, just fleetingly, want to pick up the narrator and shake him until he gets it together. Glitteringly brilliant in its best moments, the dull ones are few and far between and as our protagonist would sagely remind us, those too might also be Reagan’s fault.
(minor spoilers below)

Our anonymous, polyamorous, narrator feels his world shatter around him when his boyfriend, Ben, ends the relationship. Despite still having a wonderful and supportive husband, fulfilling career, and reasonably well adjusted children, life’s just not the same without Ben. Added to our protagonist’s grief and confusion are the complexities of explaining polyamory to well-meaning but often misinformed friends and family. The novel takes the form of emails written, but unsent, to Ben in which the narrator vents his grief, anger, confusion, and hilarious pop culture observations.

This was a compelling and entertaining book. The premise alone sold me from the get go and the novel mostly had a steady, building pace which I appreciated. Honestly I never saw the end coming but I’m so happy with how things turned out! The narrator’s voice is vibrant and engaging, even in mundane matters. Since the novel is mostly nothing but his voice, this is definitely a good strength to have. The wit and aesthetic sensibility of our lovelorn hero never falter and indeed lend the whole novel a level of piquancy and verve you don’t often see. It’s such a pleasure to read something with a sense of style.

Now for the things I didn’t like quite so much.

The author mostly does an adept job of sprinkling humor, alternative perspectives in the form of dialogue, and plot throughout. However, the book does stall a bit towards the halfway point. Even I can only care about gay relationship drama only so much. This isn’t Mean Girls; the limit does in fact exist.

While I generally appreciated the introspective and nuanced tone of the book, I did find myself wishing for some more dynamic action from time to time. Honestly when the possibility of the narrator and Ben getting back together was put on the table at about the ¾’s mark I felt a sense of exhilaration I wished had lasted longer. The story could have benefitted from a slightly prolonged “will they won’t they period”.

On the whole it was a very satisfying and amusing reading experience. I think the world needs more funny, insightful, nuanced stories about the benefits and challenges of polyamory.

“Middle Spoon” is the latest novel by National Book Award finalist Alejandro Varela. It explores the inner thoughts and ruminations of one man. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the humorous and obsessive reflections of a recently heartbroken narrator.

The narrator is in a long-term, committed relationship with his husband, and they are parents to two children. While they are content in their relationship, they have chosen to open it up to polyamory.

Recently, the narrator ended a relationship with his boyfriend, Ben, and is struggling to cope with the loss. To process his feelings, he writes letters to Ben—letters he never intends to send. In these letters, he shares insights about his life as a BIPOC gay man, as well as his thoughts on everyday life as a New Yorker working in public health. While grappling with society’s perceptions and his own biases regarding polyamory, he also addresses issues such as systemic racism, class struggles, and parenting challenges.

This novel strikes a humorous yet semi-neurotic tone. Readers will relate to the tendency to overanalyze everything during a breakup and heartbreak. I found myself questioning the reliability of the narrator; only a few details confirmed his perspective. I would have appreciated seeing portions of the novel from the viewpoints of the husband and/or boyfriend.

I would recommend this book, although it may be difficult to read in one sitting due to its all-consuming exploration of wallowing and heartbreak. The writing is clever and engaging, capturing the raw and authentic feelings associated with loss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advance reader copy.