Ryan O'Connell Knihy

From the star of Peacock’s Queer as Folk and the Netflix series Special comes a “funny, tender, and beautiful” ( Gary Janetti, New York Times bestselling author) novel following a gay TV writer with cerebral palsy as he fights addiction and searches for acceptance in an overwhelmingly ableist world.Elliott appears to be living the dream as a successful TV writer with a doting boyfriend. But behind his Instagram filter of a life, he’s grappling with an intensifying alcohol addiction, he can’t seem to stop cheating on his boyfriend with various sex workers, and his cerebral palsy is making him feel like gay Shrek.After falling down a rabbit hole of sex, drinking, and Hollywood backstabbing, Elliott decides to limp his way towards redemption. But facing your demons is easier said than done.“With his singular voice and unforgettable wit” (Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle ), Ryan O’Connell presents a candid, biting, and refreshingly real commentary on gay life, laugh-out-loud exploration of self, and a rare insight into life as a person with disabilities.

This hilarious part-memoir, part-manifesto reveals what distinguishes the latest generation of young people coming of age in a wired, overeducated, and underemployed world. Ryan O'Connell has captivated audiences with his blogs on Thought Catalog and Vice, his YouTube videos, and his candid #dark tweets. He is the snarky friend you consult when you fear falling into virtual k-holes or when you've made the mistake of befriending a psycho at a party and need to extricate yourself the next day. However, Ryan didn't always have the answers. Growing up gay and disabled with cerebral palsy, he often felt behind his peers. His twenties brought even more confusion, as he became a Millennial cliché: enduring dead-end internships, unemployment, working in pajamas as a blogger, communicating mainly via text, searching for love online, overspending on "necessary" items, and even dabbling in aimless pill-popping. Through trial and error, Ryan learned to transform his life from bleak to chic and began his journey toward adulthood. Sharp and entertaining, this work offers valuable lessons for twentysomethings (or anyone young at heart) on what NOT to do if they aspire to become happy, fully functioning adults with a 401k and a dog.