HE'S SO POSSESSED WITH ME

Colin Ong doesn’t like his best friend Ren Hsu’s new boyfriend.

After leaving the gay club they’ve snuck into with IDs belonging to a couple of Ren’s college student friends (fortunately the bouncer is a “White Person Who Can’t Tell Asians Apart”), Ontario high school seniors Colin and Ren get harassed by homophobic bullies while taking their usual path home. They reroute through the woods, where they encounter a demonic force that snatches Ren. Seconds later, Ren reappears, acting as though nothing happened—and soon, he seems to be dating someone new, someone not quite human, as evidenced by the disembodied voice Ren speaks to when he thinks no one’s around. Then there’s his unusual avoidance of mirrors (Colin observes, “This is noteworthy because Ren loves looking at himself”). Colin is determined to figure out how to save Ren from his demonic boyfriend’s grasp. Though the supporting characters are underdeveloped, by emphasizing Colin’s and Ren’s friendship, Liu refreshingly lets the boys’ platonic love eclipse romance. Portraying a boyfriend’s possessiveness as literal demonic possession highlights the important message that control is abusive and not romantic. Fannish readers will enjoy Colin and Ren’s conversations, which are peppered with geeky references. In screenwriter Liu’s debut novel, both Colin’s and Ren’s Chinese Canadian parents struggle with their sons’ sexuality. Unlike Ren’s parents, Colin’s mom takes a journey toward acceptance that includes some realistically incremental development.

A deliciously creepy queer story that puts friendship first.