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Book Cover for: Just by Looking at Him, Ryan O'Connell

Just by Looking at Him

Ryan O'Connell

Reader Score

76%

76% of readers

recommend this book

From the star of Peacock's Queer as Folk and the Netflix series Special comes a "funny, tender, and beautiful" (Gary Janetti, New York Times bestselling author) novel following a gay TV writer with cerebral palsy as he fights addiction and searches for acceptance in an overwhelmingly ableist world.

Elliott appears to be living the dream as a successful TV writer with a doting boyfriend. But behind his Instagram filter of a life, he's grappling with an intensifying alcohol addiction, he can't seem to stop cheating on his boyfriend with various sex workers, and his cerebral palsy is making him feel like gay Shrek.

After falling down a rabbit hole of sex, drinking, and Hollywood backstabbing, Elliott decides to limp his way towards redemption. But facing your demons is easier said than done.

"With his singular voice and unforgettable wit" (Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle), Ryan O'Connell presents a candid, biting, and refreshingly real commentary on gay life, laugh-out-loud exploration of self, and a rare insight into life as a person with disabilities.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books
  • Publish Date: Jun 6th, 2023
  • Pages: 304
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.30in - 0.90in - 0.52lb
  • EAN: 9781982178598
  • Categories: LGBTQ+ - GayHumorous - Dark HumorLiterary

About the Author

O'Connell, Ryan: - Ryan O'Connell is the Emmy-nominated creator, writer, and star of Netflix's Special, which is based on his memoir, I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. He's also written for other TV shows like Will & Grace, Awkward, and Peacock's Queer as Folk revival, which he also stars in. He lives, laughs, and loves in Los Angeles with his partner, Jonathan Parks-Ramage.

Praise for this book

"With his singular voice and unforgettable wit, O'Connell movingly explores how our messiest moments can lead to radical self-acceptance. Elliott's journey may be his own, but what he discovers about the absurdity of the human condition is universal." -Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle and Lily and The Octopus