Hi!! I would ask this off anon, but I’m currently not out yet to anyone :) I just wanted to say how much Symptoms of Being Human meant to me. I had no idea what I was getting into the day I walked into my school library and happened to choose a random book off the shelf.
I’m closeted as gender fluid, and seeing that represented so beautifully in a book meant the world to me. I see a lot of myself in Riley and it made me feel so incredibly seen. The messages in it are so, so incredible. That conversation Riley and Solo had in The Reagan Years hit me like a brick in the best way.
Riley’s coping mechanism with painting the whiteboard black has helped me through a couple rough patches immensely, and I only finished the book two days ago. And speaking of the whiteboard visualization- I GOT GOOSEBUMPS READING THISE LAST FEW PARAGRAPHS OF THE WHOLE BOOK. OH MY GOODNESS THAT WAS SUCH A CLEVER WAY TO END IT. There was so much incredible, powerful language in the book, and I loved every second of it. I love heavy, deep books like that, the ones that draw you in and make you hurt for the characters and feel their joy at the same time. I cried with Riley so many times, I lost count. I jumped around my room in my pajamas the first time Riley came out. Your characters feel so real and their emotions so intense, it’s absolutely incredible.
Thank you for writing it. Your book really helped me in ways I can’t express ^^ I know this blog has been inactive for a while now, but I hope you might see this ask someday
I have no idea how old this ask is, as I've been inactive for years on this account. I hope the writer reads this.
First, thank you so much for getting my book so completely. It is a rare thing when a writer hears from someone who reacted the way the writer hoped they would. I suppose I feel like the director watching his own movie from the back row as the audience oohs and aahs at all the right places. It's incredibly satisfying and gratifying.
Second, I'm so glad you got what you got from Symptoms. I think the best part of books is that we see ourselves reflected in them. So, it's really you that you enjoyed. My book was just the frame for that mirror. Either way, I'm thrilled it was meaningful to you, and I wish you all the best in your journey. I see you.
Jeff