“Upside Down” by N.R. Walker

To celebrate Ace Week I read a book featuring not just one but TWO asexual characters! Upside Down is the story of Jordan, an Australian man who is just coming to terms with the fact that he might be asexual. When he realizes that the cute guy he has been admiring on the bus runs the Ace/Aro Support Group in his neighborhood, he starts to befriend him. The two start dating not long after that as they start to realize that they have been looking for someone like them.

So to start off with, this book is super cute. Jordan and Hennessey (bus boy) are adorable together. And seeing a depiction of two ace men is wonderful. Jordan in general is a wonderful character as a nerdy bookworm who has a tendency to nervously talk when he gets anxious, which is usually when he’s around Hennessey. Additionally the two guys have a colorful cast of friends including Jordan’s best friend Merry and his roommate Angus. Both friends serve as foils for Jordan at points in the book.

Another great part of the book is that Angus has an ongoing relationship with a couple throughout the book. By the end it is practically a marriage between three people, and seeing a poly relationship so positively is wonderful.

One thing I did not love though is that by the end of the book every single character is in a relationship. I figured that since it is a book about asexuality, one of the characters had to end up single and happy. Merry even goes on a rant about it at some point. But in the end she is paired up with a character we never meet, and everyone else is already in a relationship. I get that it is a romance novel, but could we not pair characters together without a reason?

Similarly, it just felt like the book revolved around Jordan and Hennessey’s relationship a little too much. They have multiple Ace/Aro Support Meetings revolve around their relationship problems which just seems like a waste of everyone else’s time to me. Plus there is a bus crew who start to eavesdrop on their conversations everyday which screams CREEPY to me. But it’s a romance book. So I should relax.

Finally only other thing I want to say is that with the chapters flipping between Jordan and Hennessey’s narration, I found it really hard to tell the two apart at points. Especially when they’re talking about their previous relationship troubles and things like that. Could not tell you who was who.

But I can see how this book does great things for asexual visibility. Jordan’s journey is very clearly portrayed and explained through these Support Meetings, and it shows that you can be in a happy, healthy relationship even if you’re asexual. I bet a lot of readers gain hope from this story. So my issues are most likely more with romance as a genre rather than specifically this book. It is definitely worth the read.