Thanks to FSG & NetGalley for the gifted eARC

A young man tends to a dying soul in the desert in a place called the Palace. As Juan waits for his end, he and the narrator exchange stories—memories of their youth surrounding love, joy, and family.

In this trailblazing work, Torres emphasizes the importance of own-voice storytelling and brilliantly reclaims queer history through "editing" published texts & images. The use of layered narration is another standout in BLACKOUTS. There are moments when the inner-most narrative refers back to the outer-most storyline, and I find myself absolutely mindblown by Torres' brilliance.

To read BLACKOUTS is less like reading but more similar to admiring an ingenious artwork. BLACKOUTS is experimental, unique in its style, and requires some big brain energy from the readers. I loved it, but stylistically, it will be a hit or miss for readers.