Blatantly lifting this review from a comment I wrote to a Goodreads friend who asked how I was enjoying it. :P Somewhat absurd in its plotting, very stream of consciousness, but with real heart underneath and the MC's voice is extremely well-developed and believable. Funny, too! ( )

The novel is told by a religious, overweight African American young man, dealing with his homosexuality. His journey takes us through his teenage marriage, parenting, and how he leads a double life to control his gayness, including a form of gay conversion therapy. Well written although the characters and story feel superficial. ( )

This was such an interesting book and I really enjoyed reading it. Hannaham presents the poignant story of Gary, a gay black Christian struggling with his identity. While there were a few lackluster points in the story, and a few points I wish Hannaham had spent more time on, this was a heart wrenching and hilarious novel. ( )

What is most surprising about Hannaham's tale is how superbly he handles all sides of the issue. Gary is absolutely sincere in his desire to change that which can never be, although it is obvious that he's happiest and most 'himself' when he accepts his nature. When he enters a program to 'remove' his homosexuality, a lesser writer would likely use the opportunity to condemn such actions as ludicrous and hateful. But Gary and his teachers are fundamentally good people, led by firm beliefs that what they do is right. This is not an attack on Christianity, but a dissection of people who take the Bible very seriously at the expense of their own unique individualities. There are no cheap shots, no laughs at the expense of bigotry. Hannaham's tale slowly expands itself into an exploration of how we all lie to ourselves to make ourselves feel better, and how we all alter our behaviour to suit the beliefs of others. Gary and his fellow students at the ministry are devout in their belief that they can change an innate portion of their being to satisfy others, even though the entire notion is inherently laughable. The rest of their lives will be spent in hollow denial of themselves, if the treatment actually worked: "Dr. Soffione's treatment didn't offer a 100 percent cure. From the way Bill and Gay spoke about it, nobody could. Did Christ really want that for us? Would we have to spend the rest of our lives counting the seconds to make sure our hugs didn't go into overtime?"

Read the rest of the review here. ( )

God Says No is an amazing first novel. It is the story of Gary Gray, who is gay, but doesn't want to be. What he really wants is to be "normal" - he wants a wife and family, not to desire other men. He is profoundly religious, he hsa been raised to believe that homosexuality is evil and he doesn't understand why God doesn't answer his pleas for help in overcoming his attraction to other men.

There is, surprisingly, a lot of humor in the book. Gary is ridiculously naive, he and his wife share a deep and abiding love of Disney World and he takes a passing bus sign advertising "free checking" as a sign from God. But even the humor has a serious tone. You cannot help but feel his pain; even when he's being ridiculous, he is also very sincere.

As is often the case in real life, the religious people in the book are some of the most unsympathetic characters. In a church program designed to teach gay men how to be straight (right down to learning automotive repair and the rules of football), Gary is struck by how unforgiving these people are - both those attending the program and those teaching it. Religion is clearly used as an excuse to air their prejudice.

In the end, Gary has to find a way to deal with his disappointment: he is not the man he wanted to be, he won't have the life he wanted to have, and God will not send down a lightning bolt to make things all better. Instead, he has to grow into a man that he can be proud of, all on his own. ( )