Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle - Review
Bury Your Gays, Review Snapshot:
What mood is this right for: You’re looking for meta horror.
Length: 297 Pages
Genre: Horror | Lit Fic
Source: Purchased (Libro FM and Local bookshop)
Where to Buy: Amazon | Libro.FM | Kobo
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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1 Sentence Summary: When a queer screenwriter refuses to “bury his gays,” the monsters he once wrote begin clawing their way into reality—forcing him to confront the trauma, choices, and creations that haunt him.
Synopsis
It’s hard to recap this book without giving too much away. I highly recommend going in as blind as possible and just letting the story happen to you—it’s such a wild ride. But if you must know something…
True to the trope it’s named after, we’re thrown into the world of Misha, a queer screenwriter facing an impossible choice: either kill off his queer characters or “straighten” them up. The powers that be have run the numbers and decided these are the only two options to increase revenue.
But Misha refuses. He doesn’t want to kill them. He doesn’t want to change them. And as he grapples with how to end his hit series, monsters from his past horror scripts begin appearing around him. What follows is a layered, surreal descent through metafictional horror, creative control, queer identity, and the monsters we create—both on the page and in our lives.
My Thoughts:
The thing about Tingle’s writing is this: when you try to explain these books out loud, they sound completely unhinged. I can already picture you sitting there thinking:
Heather are you really trying to tell me that a story written by an erotica author with titles such as Trans Wizard Harriet Porber And The Bad Boy Parasaurolophus and This Lesbian Hot Dog Gets Me Off Also She Is A Doctor Also She Is Vegan about a writer’s monsters coming back to haunt him is not only good but an astounding horror literary fiction novel?
YES. That is literally what I’m telling you.
Not only that—it was probably my favorite book of the year. And I’m not alone: Bury Your Gays just won the Locus Award for Horror a few weeks ago. I am still baffled by Chuck Tingle’s range.
This is literary horror with a theme of queer joy, identity, and healing—all while being haunted by the stories we’ve told and the people who shaped them. Sign me up.
CAWPILE Review of Bury Your Gays
Characters – 8
I loved the exploration of Misha’s character and how his relationships shaped the fictional people (and monsters) in his stories. The flashbacks that revealed how each character was built off someone from his life added a surprising amount of depth. I docked a couple of points only because I couldn’t recall a single side character fifteen minutes after finishing—but with a book this laser-focused on one central figure, maybe that’s by design.
Atmosphere/Setting – 10
Hard to talk about without spoilers, but just know the vibes are immaculate. The horror is surreal, disorienting, layered—and yet it all works.
Writing Style – 10
Quite literally: no notes.
Plot – 10
Modern horror with shades of classic monster fiction, plus smart commentary on tech, storytelling, and queer identity? Chef’s kiss.
Intrigue – 10
I couldn’t stop reading. I started with the audiobook but had to buy the physical copy because the audio just wasn’t fast enough.
Logic/Relationships – 8
There were a couple of “why are you doing this?” moments—but nothing that pulled me out of the story. Misha’s relationships were emotionally honest, if messy (as they should be).
Enjoyment – 10
In case it wasn’t obvious: I had a blast with this one.
Final Score: 7.8 → 5 Stars
Final Thoughts
I’m attending a Chuck Tingle event later this year hosted by one of my local bookstores, and I literally cannot wait for Lucky Day.
Tingle’s work is often dismissed as meme-fodder or shock erotica—but that underestimation is exactly why Bury Your Gays hits so hard. It’s smart, bold, and emotionally resonant. If you love horror with something to say, this one belongs on your shelf.
Is Bury Your Gays actually scary?
It’s more emotionally unsettling than terrifying. If you like psychological horror, metafiction, and slow-burn dread that builds toward catharsis—this delivers. There’s very little gore, but a lot of emotional intensity.
Do I need to read other Chuck Tingle books first?
Nope! This is a complete standalone and very different from his satirical erotica. If anything, this might be the perfect intro if you’re curious about his more literary or horror work.
Is this book more horror or more literary fiction?
Honestly, both. Think Paul Tremblay meets Carmen Maria Machado. It uses horror as a lens to explore identity, storytelling, trauma, and queer erasure. So if you’re in it for the monsters or the
Does this book have queer joy or is it all trauma?
Surprisingly, both. It doesn’t shy away from hard conversations about shame, grief, or the pressure to conform—but it also centers queer joy, love, resilience, and agency.
How weird is it really?
Tingle-level weird, which is to say: meta, surreal, fourth-wall-teetering, but never incoherent. If you’ve read Night Film, House of Leaves, or I'm Thinking of Ending Things, you’ll be at home here—but with a lot more heart.
Would horror readers who don't usually read queer fiction enjoy this?
Yes—if they’re open to layered, character-driven horror with social commentary. It’s not traditional slash-and-scream horror, but if you liked The Cabin at the End of the World or The Only Good Indians, you’ll appreciate this.
Is this book depressing?
Not really—it’s heavy at times, but ultimately hopeful. The emotional resolution is surprisingly tender for a horror novel. You will feel things, but it’s not despair-core.
Would this work as an audiobook?
Yes! In fact, I started on audio—but had to switch to print because I was reading faster than the narrator could talk. The narration is solid and atmospheric. There is a great cast of narrators from TJ Klune to T. Kingfisher,
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle Trigger Warning
(Source: Story Graph)
Graphic
Gore, Homophobia, Violence
Moderate
Child abuse, Acephobia/Arophobia, Stalking
Minor
Drug use, Vomit, Car accident
⚠️ Spoilers Below ⚠️
Book Club Discussion Questions: Bury Your Gays
Zeke plays a steady, supportive role throughout Misha’s unraveling. How did their relationship shift your understanding of queer partnership, particularly in the context of emotional survival and self-acceptance?
What did you think of the way the book handled the “monsters” Misha created? Were they effective metaphors for his trauma, or did they feel like separate entities?
Did you find the story within a story (the show Misha is writing) enhanced or distracted from the main narrative? How did that meta-layer impact your reading experience?
The title directly calls out a harmful trope. How does the book subvert or reclaim the “bury your gays” trope by the end?
The book heavily focuses on AI and profit driven art, how well did the book communicate these? Did your opinion on these change after you finished?
What was your reaction to the ending? Did it offer closure, catharsis, or something more ambiguous?
If you were forced to face a literal monster from your past—like Misha—what might that monster represent in your own life
