Queering Him is Katherine Wela Bogan’s debut adult romantic-drama novel and the first book in a trilogy exploring the relationship between its two main characters.
Set in 2008, the novel follows Avra Bergman, a queer Jewish sophomore who is proudly out, initially as gay before later understanding herself as bisexual. Her openness makes her a target for handsome, popular Kieran Monaghan, though Avra quickly suspects his cruelty is fueled as much by jealousy and internalized biphobia as genuine disdain. Over time, their antagonism curdles into obsession, drawing them into a turbulent relationship shaped by BDSM, intimacy, and imperfect attempts at navigating kink.
Queering Him does not have any trouble with the term “bisexual”. Once Avra realizes she is attracted to Kieran as well as women, she quickly adds a bi pride sticker to her backpack and begins to use the label to describe herself. Kieran struggles with his bisexuality for a much longer time. Bogan also manages to get in some good micro-observations about what it’s like to be bi and out at a young age. Issues such as quicker social acceptance during the 2000s of queerness, when a woman gave a more femme aesthetic, or curious colleagues starting to ask all kinds of questions, putting Avra squarely in the Bi Ambassador Dilemma. It also explores bi erasure from peers and expected bi performance from others in the community, including shaming tactics.
That said, Kieran and Avra are not always likable characters. As they move through unpacking their trauma and exploring kink, they are less-than-kind to themselves, each other, and other characters in the narrative. They also frequently act in unethical and deeply hurtful ways toward themselves and each other, including shaming one another for not being out and eventually outing a character without their consent. While the novel avoids falling into simplistic “evil bi” stereotypes, it also refuses to romanticize its protagonists as merely “messy” bisexual characters whose harmful behavior should automatically be forgiven.
Bogan has spoken extensively about bisexuality and its importance to Queering Him, as seen in this interview with Green Apple Books.
Bogen has been out as bi for many years. Queering Him is a self-published book that Bogen funded with the settlement of a lawsuit.
Queering Him was selected as a BookLife Editor’s Pick, as well as a monthly selection for AllStora for their Bi Babes Book Club in the month of its publication.