Thomas's Reviews > How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

A vulnerable and moving essay collection that kept me up well past midnight thinking about writing, writing, writing. A successful novelist, Alexander Chee shares his personal life in these essays about growing up as both Korean and white, about his work as an activist in the queer community, about his relationship with writing, and more. As a gay Asian American, I related to quite a bit in How to Write an Autobiographical Novel; my own stomach coiled when Chee wrote about one of his first lusts for another boy, and I felt a sense of shared annoyance when he described how his first book faced pressure to be categorized as either a gay book or an Asian American book, as if both identities cannot both exist at once. Chee's writing contains a quiet assuredness with language and self-exploration that I found both comforting and compelling.

I want to dedicate an individual paragraph to the essay "The Guardians," which literally took my breath away. With great courage, compassion, and intelligence, Chee examines his own experience of childhood sexual abuse and his journey to hide from it and confront it. This essay felt like such a masterful and real rendition of how trauma emerges from nowhere and everywhere, how our past affects our relationships with others and our relationship with art and writing, and the time and the bravery it can take to heal. My heart hurt for and felt hopeful for Chee when I read this, as well as for myself and others who have experienced abuse. I wish I could give this essay 10 stars.

A solid collection I would recommend to anyone interested in writing, race, and/or queerness. While at times I wanted a more cohesive theme across essays or sharper insights in a few individual essays, there is no denying Chee's immense talent and effort with writing. He's definitely inspired me - and I am sure many others, especially those with Asian and queer identities - to persevere with writing, for which I am so grateful.