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The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really tried to go into this book with an open mind, I really did. What this was pitched to be as, our main character, Dino (my gay roll of cinnamon son) broke up with his best friend of 15 years and she recently died so he's trying to unpack that emotionally. Of course, it's more complicated than that, because July, the ex best friend has risen from the dead and is back to haunt him in more ways than one. I really did enjoy Shaun David Hutchinson's other books, but there were a couple things in this one that I just couldn't get past.

First of all, Dino's ex best friend is flat out homophobic, from the first page to the last page and i'm sure that had to be a reason why Dino decided to cut her out of his life. She was at Rafi's (Dino's bf) house-party, and was talking to the theater geek friend group and she opens her mouth and says "what's the point of being gay if you don't do theather." Let me remind all of u, that she is a straight heterosexual women who previously referred to herself as "gay by proxy." She's constantly making out of her lane gay jokes, and she's truly the most ignorant bitch that I've been, seeing that it is 2019 and her long-time best friend is gay. I just wish she was more sensitive and knew how to shut her mouth. She visits the hospital to try to figure out what's wrong with her body, her being undead and all, and she starts an argument which a man who tried to commit suicide and his stomach was just pumped out. For two straight pages this girl asks him questions like "you're glad for this second chance right?" and when the patient says no she keeps on asking him "what's the point you wouldn't cut off your finger from your hand if you had a splinter." This book would have been a 4 star read for me, if not for this girl. Why I am so affected is because her perspective is 50% the author has alternating chapters from her first chapter which I really had the urge to skim.

On the other hand, I could gush how much I loved Dino and Rafi, and how much he grew and had an actual character development arc. His chapters were the only reason why I didn't dnf this in the first place. And I will admit that the writing was excellent Shaun knows his craft and how to complex characters that are flawed and unlikeable, there's a talented genius quality to his writing and even I can't deny that.

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