PETER IN PROGRESS

In Barrow’s novel, an aspiring academic goes back to his hometown, where his determination to get in shape leads to a long-delayed reckoning with his identity, sexuality, and life choices.

In 2020, two days after Peter Hughes defends his doctoral dissertation, he leaves New York City and moves back into his childhood bedroom in South Hillford, Rhode Island, to avoid the Covid-19 pandemic. Aimless and restless due to a lackluster academic job market, Peter stumbles upon Fabulous Fitness, a YouTube exercise channel run by the upbeat and openly gay Ryan Carmichael. The workouts initially provide Peter with a much-needed sense of routine, but they turn into something more when watching Ryan makes Peter face the fact that he’s gay himself. This reckoning makes him reconsider aspects of his past—particularly his relationship with his former college roommate and best friend, Adam Miller, who came out during their senior year. Peter starts on a journey of self-discovery, beginning by coming out to his longtime friend Kelly and going on a date with the barista at his local coffee shop. He eventually returns to Manhattan; emerging from the pandemic newly out, he plunges into the city’s gay scene, navigating app-fueled hookups, steamy parties, and the unpredictable rhythms of modern dating. The results are frequently chaotic and humorous, but his misadventures take a serious turn when coming out to Adam strains their friendship and Peter meets his idol, Ryan. Barrow depicts Peter as someone who’s self-conscious, anxious about his late arrival to queer life, and prone to spirals of overthinking, but the author approaches Peter’s realizations with a sincerity that makes him easy to root for. The novel thrives thanks to its lively ensemble of characters and their sharp, fast-moving dialogue, although it features notably few characters of color. Also, after carefully charting Peter’s gradual life changes, the narrative abruptly condenses an entire year of developments into just a few pages, building up to a big decision and rushing through its fallout. The closing ambiguity—clearly intended to leave Peter’s future open—undercuts the reader’s sustained emotional investment.

A lively, if uneven, coming-of-age story for adults, buoyed by an endearing protagonist.