Autoboyography by Christina Lauren, read by Deacon Lee & Kyle Mason
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2017
- Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQ+
- Format: Audiobook
- Length: 9h 19m (407 pages)
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Autoboyography is a very cute and sweet story between a bisexual high school senior, Tanner, and a Mormon Brother, Sebastian. It is the sort of book that provides hope for readers, especially young and queer ones, but, sadly, does not reflect the real world. The overall story is a dream too good to be true. Maybe that is part of the reason why it was enjoyable: you get things you don’t get out of life. Deacon did a great job at narrating, too, even though he didn’t sound much like a high schooler. He gave this story a calmness that makes it even more soothing to listen to. Also, I finished the book in two days. That is approximately two sittings, which is weirdly fast for me.
Despite the cuteness overload, there are plenty of dark moments in the book where the relationship between Tanner and Sebastian was not healthy. And precisely during those parts where Sebastian struggles internally, goes into denial, and Tanner procrastinates dealing with his life, it couldn’t be more real.
What is interesting in this story is that while Tanner’s parents are all rainbows and unicorns, their attitude towards the religious background of Sebastian nevertheless shows a similar traits as not-so-supportive parents of gay kids are towards same-sex attractions. On the other hand, Sebastian faces the complete reversed situation of Tanner’s, with his very religious Mormon family (he himself included) having trouble coming to terms with accepting gay people. Even so, the book did not demonise Mormons and did a fairly good job at staying on mutual grounds. I believe non-religious people can learn something about Mormon after reading this book, and possibly even spark an interest in wanting to know more about the religion. This alone is worth 1 star.
Not … that.
As I stated the somewhat unrealisticness of this piece of work, the fact that Sebastian bailed out of his mission is slightly absurd. But for theatrical effects, I guess this is an unavoidable event, since he obviously needed some time to reconcile with his religion. At the same time, I like how before they knew the feelings were mutual, Tanner went to BYU and found Sebastian. At the end of the book, it was Sebastian who went to UCLA and seek out Tanner.
In short, Autoboyography is a heart-warming book without absence of tensions and struggles. It has been an enjoyable process of listening to the audiobook. [21 Jul 2018]
