When I first started reading this, I wondered why Alam was writing about a white, cishet family on vacation in a swanky Airbnb in Long Island. You’ll be violently turning the pages to find out if they go through with it-the novel is both exquisitely plotted and exquisitely written. In an effort to deepen and sustain their bond, they hatch a violent plan to carry out together. My elevator pitch for this one is usually “gay boys who wanna do a murder together.” SOLD, right? But more specifically, it’s about Paul and Julian, who meet as college freshman in 1970s Pittsburgh and are drawn to each other, first as intellectual equals, then as something more.
The following list isn’t made up of all thrillers, technically-some are more mystery or crime reads-but they’re all guaranteed to keep you up at night! These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever When I started writing So Happy for You, I was so grateful there were recent queer thrillers I could turn to for research, and since writing the book I’ve been happy to read even more.
It highlights the absurdity of the wedding industrial complex and the intricacies of female friendship between someone who’s queer and someone’s who’s cishet.
In my own thriller, So Happy for You, Robin is a queer academic who reluctantly agrees to be the maid of honor for her best friend, Ellie, who’d kill for the perfect wedding-literally.