Kay Kerr

Representation: First Australian character and another character with autism
Trigger warnings: Blood, grief and loss depiction, ableism, bullying, racism, sexist slur, death of a boyfriend and other relatives in the past, drug abuse
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

One year ago, I read a book where the protagonist has autism, Peta Lyre's Rating Normal. Unfortunately, that underwhelmed me, so one year later, I tried another novel with a neurodivergent character, Please Don't Hug Me. When I picked that up, it looked promising, and when I was done, it was a pleasant and enjoyable read.

It starts with the first character I see, Erin, whose last name remains undisclosed, recording her uneventful life thus far in letters. Did I mention Please Don't Hug Me is an epistolary novel? It also has engaging pacing, even with a slow beginning. I wonder what the recipient would say after receiving Erin's letters. Life has been on a downward spiral for Erin after she was fired and then failed her driving test. I understand that life can be so much harder for people who have autism like Erin than neurotypical people, but at least she can move forward from that and not live in the past, which I liked. Even Schoolies, an end of year event, is a struggle for Erin. I'm surprised there's no conversations about masking, or someone acting neurotypical when they're not, only to fit in with society, which worsens their mental health. At least Erin has a support system consisting of one person: her mother.

Toward the latter half of Please Don't Hug Me, Erin questions where her boyfriend is, but unfortunately, she discovers that he died, much to her dismay. The conclusion is bittersweet, as it has some touching and heartwarming moments, but not free from melancholy undertones. To summarise, Please Don't Hug Me is an epistolary novel about a person with autism, but the heavy themes are not for everyone, and it's a more saddening read than I expected.… (altro)

Overall, I'd say the story is a 4*, but the autism representation was the best I've ever read, so it warrants a bonus star.

My favourite quotes:

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for online dating. My mind flashes forward to the alternative: me in my eighties, an eccentric old spinster with too many cats. It is obvious a man came up with that archetype of a failed woman, because it sounds quite lovely to me."

"Having a shower isn't just having a shower. It's picking out what I'm going to wear, getting undressed, turning the taps, washing my hair, turning off the taps, drying my hair, drying my body, getting dressed and getting ready to leave the house. It's too many steps."

"I check my phone and my heart sinks to see Jake hasn't responded. It's been a full...four minutes. He obviously hates me." (lol)

"They hug in that awkward, one-sided way people who don't really know or like each other do because they feel socially obliged to. It must be tough being neurotypical."… (altro)

Content in the book is: (Autism is a huge theme by the way)
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a sibling
Drowning

"I've got rocks in my stomach and I'm only half-tuned in all the time. Things seem to be happening behind a pan of glass, so I can see them but I can't reach out and touch them."

The writing was so raw, realistic and amazing. The main character Erin, is an autistic girl and how its portrayed is not insensitive whatsoever, it's an own voices story as the author herself is autistic. It's set in Australia and covers so many aspects of autism. If more people read this, there'd be fewer misconceptions of autism. You can relate to Erin on different things, for example, grieving someone, thats something I could relate to.
The writing style is somewhat unique, the whole story is covered through letters Erin writes to Rudy, her brother.

"A label is fine in the hands of the person wearing it, it's when someone else takes it and uses it without understanding what it actually means I wonder if it's really so good at all."
… (altro)