“Very, very funny. … Ultimately, this is a novel about the darkly hilarious side of our never-satisfied American dreams. What feels most American about it is how stuffed it is with ideas and energy, with rage and hope, with rash and selfish decisions that leave chaos and hurt in their wake.”
—Los Angeles Times
“A poignant novel in which two expectant fathers learn that letting go of their former dreams doesn’t have to be a tragedy.”
—Foreword Reviews
"Calculated to cut through saccharine depictions of queer parenthood—could pair well with Torrey Peters’s Detransition, Baby."
—The Millions
“A bold, outrageous, and often hilarious exploration of growing up while facing the ever-changing nature of queer identity and what it takes to feel alive..”
— Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle
“This is a mesmerizing debut novel. Something Close to Nothing is a candid, funny, and shocking dissection of the relationship between one of those gay couples who look perfect in their social media posts. Tom Pyun is writing about contemporary queer life with an honesty and depth that is astounding and welcomed.”
— Rasheed Newson, author of My Government Means to Kill Me
“Cringe, laugh, repeat: Tom Pyun has written a hilarious satire of a late-capitalist couple trying to have it all while resolutely never learning a damned thing about themselves. What a wonderful ride!”
— Glen David Gold, author of Carter Beats the Devil
“The story is delightfully unpredictable, sophisticated about the complexities of race and class, and a thoroughly entertaining read. It's a fantastic debut.”
— Toni Ann Johnson, author of Light Skin Gone to Waste
“This is a book you’re going to want to pass on to a friend so you can have someone to dish with when you’re done.”
— K.M. Soehnlein, author of The World of Normal Boys and Army of Lovers
“Written with a contagious, full-throttle energy that hooked me from the first page. Tom Pyun infuses each twist and turn with wit and wisdom.”
— Genevieve Hudson, author of Boys of Alabama
“An engaging, globetrotting debut that captures the many highs and lows of creating the family of one’s dreams. Full of warmth, insight, and attention to complicated truths.”
— Jung Yun, author of Shelter
“Get ready for the drama and the humor, the sexiness and the sadness, some bad choices as well as some moments of kindness.”
— Tomas Moniz, author of All Friends Are Necessary
“Tom Pyun's Something Close to Nothing is a bold proposition. At a time when the pull toward family and normalcy (and thinking those two one and the same) is stronger than ever, Pyun's novel wades instead into thornier (and much richer) territory to paint a portrait of contemporary gay male life that refuses neat narratives and tidier still endings. Written with wounding candor and biting humor, Something Close to Nothing is a nail-biter of a ride about what it means to break yourself apart in order to build out who you always thought you could be—for better and for worse.”
— Manuel Betancourt, author of The Male Gazed
“Something Close to Nothing is a journey of love and loss and ultimately choosing what you love to do over what is expected. In that way, it is a book about courage and determination. Wonderful writing, sensual and humorous, I couldn’t put it down!.”
— Louise Nayer, author of Burned: A Memoir