I must admit I’d never heard the term ‘Bury Your Gays’ before checking out this new novel from Chuck Tingle.
Previously, Tingle has received praise for their novel Camp Damascus, which focused on a queer conversion camp and all the horrors it encompasses.
For ‘Bury Your Gays’, Tingle takes aim at Hollywood and the homophobia that still exists within the system, despite all the Pride parades and rainbow flags during Pride Month.
We follow Misha, a jaded screenwriter, who is given the option in their latest script to bury their gays aka kill off the gay characters as they aren’t survivors in stories, much the same as black people historically within the horror genre.
Misha’s journey is double-faceted, with being a closeted queer person in his hometown, and ‘in public’, when questioned by Hollywood journalists.
At first, this comes across as a dark and cautionary tale that transforms into something outlandish and different during its final 100 or so pages. Some will go for the ride and others may choose to jump off.
Bury Your Gays won’t be for everyone, but it does carry importance about self-love, speaking out against injustices but is a bit tamer on the horror elements.
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle is available now in various book formats.
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