Jacob Shymanski

as a whole and what's made heated rivalry so popular i think and from what i've read of a lot of people who are big fans of it is that it puts a very positive story forward of gay men who in fiction typically do not get positive outcomes and it's very refreshing and it's a romance that a lot of people find very satisfying in a way that they've never seen before also people like the erotica

But that's not very deep.

But just I had to bring it up because heated rivalry is an absolute phenomenon that if you haven't heard about it already, you will soon.

So you're welcome.

So that's Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reed.

He does use the word okay over and over again, which is, it's kind of a pattern and it's very purposeful, but it's also, like you say, kind of, the whole book has a

leaf blowing in the wind type of vibe where it just kind of is what it is.

And it is emotionally detached just as much as its main character is.

And I think that's kind of the point.

When I interviewed David Siloy, he talked about the dialogue being especially having this hyper-realistic style.

And that's why they say okay all the time.

Sometimes conversations kind of go in circles in a way that feels realistic.

It's realistic and that's in a way refreshing in books.

But it's also, there's a reason people write the way they do.

Because sometimes we don't want realism.

Like sometimes you kind of want dialogue to be snappier because it's more entertaining.

And I think that's why this book sometimes feels a bit...

The people who determined the winner for the Booker Prize Award disagree with you because this was a Booker Prize winner this year.

It is emotionally passive.

I don't think that makes it less of a compelling book.