The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

How to be a Normal Person
By T.J. Klune
5 stars

So, “How to be a Normal Person” is the first asexual m/m romance I’ve ever read. I read it because I love this author’s work, and knew that this book means a lot to him.

I have to say, TJ Klune really sells asexuality. Gustavo Tiberius is one of the cutest, most endearing socially dysfunctional people I’ve ever read; and Casey Richards is the most adorable, charming asexual hipster I’ve ever heard of.

And did I mention the albino ferret named Harry S. Truman?

How could you resist a combination like that?

Klunatics everywhere had been awaiting with bated breath the release of this book, and it was surely worth the wait for us. It is full of laugh-out-loud humor, oddball characters (in ADDITION to the two protagonists), and deep, heart-filling emotional truth.

“Wake and bake, and I helped.” You can’t possibly know how that absurd line resonates with some terrible old joke I remember from college. You had to be there. Which means, in this case, you have to read the book. Every page is filled with such clever bits, including all sorts of terrible hipster trash-talking relating to facial hair and Instagramming that I actually understood. But it goes beyond humor; it goes to the core of what love is, what friendship is, and what community is.

This book is not just a landmark in TJ Klune’s career as a beloved author; it’s a landmark in m/m romance. And about time.

Don wrote: "I like TJ Klune, but can't call myself a "Kluantic", and I didn't enjoy this as much as you seemed to.

However, I give this book five stars as well.

That's a nice candid response, and I honor you for it. This is a big deal--the asexual character bit. TJ's books are always challenging, I think, because they don't follow the rules. I was worried about this, so maybe my enthusiasm was relief that I could buy into an asexual romance.