An Immovable Object
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About
A compelling and emotional look into the life of a man trying to reconcile the conflicts he faced growing up gay in an evangelical Christian household that had forced him into solitude and silence in order to bury the issues he had no choice but to conceal. Grief, addiction, success, relationships, abandonment, tragedy, and other experiences are all navigated with a sense of humor in a multi-layered narrative that explores and challenges important truths about the human experience.
“I was torn between two paths; each mutually exclusive of the other, each demanding a sacrifice I couldn’t make, but each holding keys to necessary sustenance for my survival. Being unwilling to move definitively in either direction, I did my best to stay motionless in the center.”
Praise for this book
A tragic yet funny portrayal of self-destruction and rebirth
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2024
All happy families are alike, Tolstoy says, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Can religion help out? Not so much in the world found in Terry Bug Lilly's poignant and humorous memoir. A note on the humor: Lilly's is understated and deadpan: "If you've never worn a spandex bodysuit in public, I'm afraid I can't really recommend it." And, describing a particular level of inebriation, his high is a high that's, "Higher than a giraffe's taint in a hot air balloon high." His wit at times approaches Wildean proportions: "I guess once puberty hit I was so gay that even my hair couldn't stay straight." And another that might make Oscar proud: "He was looking at a puzzle to solve, and I was looking for happily ever after." His long sentences can often appear meandering, but they seldom fail to deliver a punch of pathos or a hearty laugh, sometimes at the same time. A lazy writer might say, "An emo kid joined us at the table." Not so Lilly, as he shows in this descriptive gem: "A scrawny emo looking guy wearing an oversized white dress shirt with intentionally-messy unnaturally-black hair and eyes rimmed with similarly obsidian cosmetic liner joined us at a table." There are plenty of other eccentric characters in this Charleston tale, so much so that at times it can be difficult to keep track of them all, but the author never fails to set this reader back on track with his reflective, keen eye for detail and good ear for dialogue. If you're looking for honest, non-lazy storytelling, this is a good one to pick up. If you've ever struggled in the hands of an angry god--parent, deity, or narcotic--this is a unique one that tells its story with humility and compassion. Lilly moves and amuses. Overall, a very good reading experience.
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2024
I finished the book in two evenings. I almost couldn’t put it down. Bug’s personal story is real and raw and captivating.