Based on the real-life work of queer researcher and activist Jan Gay, Justin Torres’ new novel is a transfixing and emotional examination of history. Blackouts follows a dying elderly man, Juan Gay, and his nameless, 20-something caretaker to explore what it means to be erased. Throughout, Torres draws on photographs, illustrations, and redacted passages from “Sex Variants: A Study in Homosexual Patterns,” a 1941 committee report whose authorship is attributed to psychiatrist George W. Henry but that originated as a compilation of queer stories collected by Jan. In doing so, Blackouts, a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award in fiction, illuminates the ways in which the lives and experiences of marginalized people have long been omitted from written records. —Megan McCluskey
Buy Now: Blackouts on Bookshop | Amazon
- Why Cell Phone Reception Is Getting Worse
- The Dirty Secrets of Alternative Plastics
- Israeli Family Celebrates Release of Hostage Grandmother
- We Should Get Paid for Our Online Data: Column
- The COP28 Outcomes Business Leaders Are Watching For
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023
- The Top 100 Photos of 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time