LGBT Book Review: Colors by Johvan Calvo

Welcome to another LGBT book review! All reviews touch on genre/plot, tropes (if any), quality of LGBT content, and avoid most spoilers. Catch up on my last book review of The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth. You can find all LGBT book reviews here.

LGBT Book, Colors: Light spoilers

Genre/Plot

Colors is a post-apocalyptic novel that closely follows a cast of mostly queer and Hispanic-American characters as they navigate a dangerous and strange world, consumed in one color. This LGBT book switches its first-person narration from character to character, giving us a glimpse into a range of struggles and perceptions as each character’s “world” sheds light on a different mental health challenge.

Characters/Relationships

The book has a fairly large ensemble of characters, most of which are queer. Colors focuses most heavily on a gay Hispanic-American man, and two sapphic women. Their relationship is easily one of the most precious parts of the story.

Gay Content

As with many newer LGBT books, Colors does not place identity at the focal point of the story, nor does it attempt to make a political statement with the integration of queer (or POC) characters. Instead, the novel incorporates the minority characters seamlessly into the plot, focusing instead on their strange new world than who they’re attracted to. There are no points of homophobia and no coming-outs; however, it is implied that the queer girls were somewhat shy about displaying their relationship in the beginning.

LGBT Book, Colors: Spoilers Ahead

Not much to add here today! Colors handles queer identities well without overstating them. The only trope to report here is some cottagecore gays who spend a lot of time planting flowers.

You can buy Colors on Amazon today. Johvan Calvo is an old classmate and friend of mine and this is his first novel! Support a new LGBT writer and buy his book!

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