Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix

Transgender Latinx 17-year-old Nicolás Caraveo has just left his rural Wisconsin hometown to work as a New York stock market mathematician in this tender, intelligent The Great Gatsby retelling by McLemore (Lakelore), part of the Remixed Classics series. Determined to repay his parents for their unconditional acceptance, Nick enlists the help of his cousin, Daisy Fabrega-Caraveo, in persuading them to let him move to New York to work in finance. He arrives in West Egg to find Daisy “engaged to be engaged” to wealthy, racist Tom, who believes that Daisy is white. Hurt by Daisy’s rejection of their heritage, Nick finds comfort while attending a party thrown by his trans Irish American neighbor Jay Gatsby, Daisy’s 19-year-old ex. Though Nick is down-to-earth and Gatsby is idealistic, the boys’ friendship and mutual attraction grows—but Gatsby’s obsession with winning Daisy back, and Nick’s agreement to help, stalls potential romance. McLemore cleverly and subtly weaves in imagery from the source material while crafting a unique look at queer relations in 1920s New York, and lush prose skillfully depicts the characters’ yearning for freedom and acceptance. This is a compelling reimagining, and a stunner in its own right. Ages 14–up. Agent: Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary. (Sept.)