The Pursued and the Pursuing

by AJ Odasso

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby ends after Jay Gatsby is shot and killed for a hit and run that he did not commit, as well as for his attempts to recapture the past. However, while the bullet’s aim is still true, The Pursued and the Pursuing explores what might have been had it left Gatsby with another chance at happiness. Find it he does, although not in the arms of Daisy Buchanan. As Gatsby travels the world with Nick Carraway, his friend and narrator, he sheds wealth, performance, and glamor in favor of honesty, intimacy, and love.

When Daisy writes to Nick a decade after Gatsby’s brush with death, her frenzied reentrance into their lives threatens to stir up old grudges and longings, but the biggest surprise she brings is her daughter. At thirteen, Pam Buchanan is a queer, bookish girl who feels out of place as her parents try to steer her toward their standards of normalcy. Fortunately, Nick and Gatsby are more than familiar with the perils of being molded by others’ expectations.

A tale of chosen family, queer love, and a glitzy party or two, The Pursued and the Pursuing reimagines Fitzgerald’s beloved characters and celebrates those with courage to live in the present.

"Intimate, tender, and fully realized in its historical details, The Pursued and the Pursuing is a lush, lived-in novel with an eerily Fitzgeraldian ring to its prose."
—Lara Elena Donnelly, author of The Amberlough Dossier

"This wild, wonderful queering of The Great Gatsby leaves no stone unturned, upping the ante for retellings, and reveals what sometimes glitters really is gold."
—Christopher Barzak, author of One for Sorrow

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Adult, Retellings

170 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2021

About the author

AJ Odasso’s poetry, essays, and short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies since 2005. Their first full poetry collection, Things Being What They Are, an earlier version of The Sting of It, was shortlisted for the 2017 Sexton Prize. The Sting of It was published by Tolsun Books and won Best LGBT in the 2019 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. Their first novel, The Pursued and the Pursuing, will be published in September 2021 by DartFrog Blue, the traditional publishing imprint of DartFrog Books. AJ holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Boston University. They teach at University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College, and they have enjoyed participating in ABQ-local literary events at their synagogue and beyond. They have served as Senior Poetry Editor at Strange Horizons magazine since 2012.

Reviews

[elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is gonna be a long one you guys, I'm so sorry. I promise nobody is more disappointed than me. And even though I didn't love this, thank you so much to Netgalley and DartFrog Blue for sending me this ARC.

So first of all, this is not a retelling, this is a sequel. Just to be clear. We pick up immediately after the end of the great gatsby, and span almost two decades of Nick's life. During which nothing happens.

Don't get me wrong, they do a lot of things. But this by far is the most boring book I've read in a long time. None of the events matter, or affect each other, there is nothing whatsoever resembling a plot. And that, in itself, isn't a problem. I've been known to love quiet character studies where not much happens at all. The problem was that the characters were not nearly well developed enough to carry that sort of a book. In fact, characters are hardly introduced at all. The assumption is that you know them, that you know the great gatsby, and Odasso doesn't waste time with things like characterization. They seem to attempt an arc for both Jay and Nick, but because we don't see where these characters started, it's all tell and no show. The book is TELLING me these characters have developed, but really, they've and just been gallivanting around for 100 pages having dramatic moments that never lead to anything bigger.

At this point, you're probably thinking, elena, that sounds like fanfiction. Because it is. This is not a stand alone novel. In fact, I think you would have no goddamn idea what was going on unless you'd read gatsby, because the book constantly references the original with no attempt to explain (my personal favorite being petals described as "the color of jays old suit"). So, okay. This is fanfiction. Meet it where it's at, review it as fanfiction!

The problem is that it's still bad fanfiction. I love fanfiction. I write fanfiction. I've written Gatsby fanfiction, even. The fact that this started on ao3 is one of the reasons I wanted to like it so badly. But if I had seen this on ao3, I never would have read it, because it's exactly the kind of fanfiction I hate. This is fanfiction that completely misses the point of the text it's pulling from. Why ressurect Gatsby? Why erase the tragic ending? Does the author have anything interesting to say about that? I was willing to give them a chance. Unfortunately, the answer seems to be, "so I can write fluffy domestic kidfic with no stakes". And there is absolutely a market for that, but god, I am not in it. They fuck for the first time on page 17 and then they don't stop until halfway through the book, at which point, it switches gears and becomes about the trials and tribulations of raising a teenager with a neglectful mother.

Speaking of which. Lets talk about Daisy. This book made my fucking blood boil with the way it treated Daisy Buchanan. Odasso seems to not only fundamentally misunderstand her character, but unabashedly hate her. Daisy in the great gatsby is an imperfect person, a misguided person who makes mistakes and hurts people in the process. Daisy in this book is a monster bitchwife that Nick can't so much as think about without resorting to upsetting, furious thoughts. It's perhaps my least favorite trope in gay fanfiction, the complete character assassination and neglect of the female characters for the sake of the male romantic leads. It's exhausting, and it's so common in fandom. This book wants me to believe that it's about growing, changing, becoming a better person. But it's not. It's about misrepresenting characters to serve a narrative. I can't help but think this was done just to give Jay and Nick an excuse to adopt Pam, a plotline that did not have enough narrative payoff to justify itself. If you're going to be fanfiction, which this undeniably is, you have to at least commit to the one facet that makes fanfiction what it is: the characters. You can't have your original novel cake and eat it too.

The writing and the dialogue are clunky, but I'm not going to bother with that, I don't think it's the biggest problem by far. Odasso seems to occasionally want to imitate the style of the original, but it's inconsistent, and given that they're trying to imitate one of the most stunning things about the original, all it ends up doing is reminding me I'd rather be reading that book. The handling of social issues is hamfisted and inelegant, which is a shame, because I think it could've been excellent commentary if it weren't so poorly executed.

If you read 100k kidfic fix-it tagged "everything is beautiful and nothing hurts", this book is for you. Otherwise, it is not worth your time.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an absolute delight. like, i had my fears going into this book (which i think is pretty normal for gatsby fans), but boy, did i end up loving this

if you loved the great gatsby and you want nick to find all the love and happiness he deserves then this is the book for you!

AJ Odasso is no Fitzgerald but the great thing was that they weren't really trying to be Fitzgerald either? they did mimic a Fitzgeraldesque voice (Fitzgeraldian? Fitzgeraldish? no one knows) and nick also felt fairly authentic but it also felt like a seperate entity. a do-over with different strengths if i might say so. and i feel like that's a good way of writing something based on a famous and well-loved story. like, your audience clearly reads the book bc they loved the original but they also want somehing kinda new? and this books delivered exactly that

also? nick carraway is still my absolute favorite. and he got so much love in this!! so much happiness!!

(as always shoutout to netgalley for the ARC, you guys, this book made me really happy)

[courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

started off strong and then turned into a boring fanfic tbh

[Sharon Thérèse · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I love discovering new authors and was pleasantly surprised by AJ Odasso’s fresh retelling of The Great Gatsby. But before I go any further, the title and cover have to be mentioned. I only understood why the author had chosen to name the book The Pursued and the Pursuing once I’d read the first couple of chapters. It’s perfect! And I’d be the first one to have this stunning cover poster size hanging on my wall.

The author explores what-ifs with prose worthy of being taken seriously. This time around, he’s generously given Jay Gatsby (James Gatz) a second chance, so it’s not difficult to imagine that most things change. From the word go, the reader learns that Nick Carraway’s only concern is Jay’s well-being. And I was beyond satisfied that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. However, I wish I could have experienced a different Daisy...no surprise here though. Seeing Odasso give importance to her and Tom’s daughter, Pammy, warmed my heart. If you’ve read Fitzgerald’s novel, you’ll know exactly where I’m going.

I definitely wouldn’t go as far as to say that the author’s narrative of Fitzgerald’s novel is fanfiction. For me, it was a tribute to the characters, his poetic license intensifying the feelings Jay and Nick have for each other. I was delighted that Odasso respected their personalities—and Nick’s unselfishness wiggling its way back into my heart was an added plus. Not only does he help Jay realise there’s much more to life than the one he had led, but their journey would be a time for reflection and just maybe, a future together.

And reflect on many things is just what I did. Wartime ponderings, heartbreak, deception, and where one least expects quirky queerness to have an effect but do, are driven home without any remorse. It hurts me to say this as I thoroughly enjoyed reading the new take on this epic story. A couple of passages felt a tad drawn out; nonetheless, the author’s storytelling outweighs these few setbacks here and back to the original version.

Simply magnificent, Odasso! You pulled it off beyond my expectations!

ARC kindly received from Dartfrog Books/Dartfrog Blue via NetGalley for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did a quick re-read of The Great Gatsby before I read this to remind me of what happened. Can there be such a thing as a spoiler alert for a classic book? Jay Gatsby died and his many hangers on, who lived for the debauchery and hedonism of his parties, did not give a flying fuck about him.

Only Nick cared. Even Daisy Buchanan, the object of Jay’s love didn’t care and she let him down in the worst possible way. How could she?

The Pursued and The Pursuing picks up the story where Jay is found shot and it flips the ending. Jay is alive. AJ Odasso brings back the characters and puts them straight back into the story like he/she turned back the clock.

Nick and Jay make their own way in the world, relying on each other without the trappings of parties and socialising. Those people were no longer needed. Daisy does re-appear but she is no longer the sweet darling and the object of Jay’s affection. Her amazingly funny and delightful daughter Pam becomes the object of Jay and Nick’s affection instead. She’s the new darling. The dear heart.

I’m not a Gatsby die hard so this book was a good read for me. I think the re-read before hand definitely helped because it made me so happy about the turn of events that brought Jay back, he didn’t deserve that tragic ending. I wanted to see him full of life and love. Nicky so clearly, in The Great Gatsby, had this profound love of Jay that it felt a damn shame not to play on how that might progress.

I actually love the way the story turned. It just felt right. Like that was the way it was always meant to be.

Made me want to write a fan fiction and bring Tess Durbeyfield back to life. Now there’s a thought.

[Beau Jágr Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

AJ Odasso's The Pursued and the Pursuing, an alternate ending and retelling of The Great Gatsby, is one of the first books in months that I couldn't bear to put down. It has been a while since I read the famous original text, but my memories of me definitely left me wishing for something different, something distinct, and this satisfied that among other things! Before I give any details, I will say that I haven't seen the related film, but I didn't feel I needed to. There are spoilers in this review, but the significant ones will be spoiler tagged!

Even as someone who hasn't recently read the book, I felt like Odasso's natural skill in establishing character notes shone through. We start in media res, a hiccup before the official end of The Great Gatsby, where Jay Gatsby himself has been shot. Instead of him dying, he's rescued by Nick Carraway and while publicly Jay Gatsby dies, Jay Gatz has new life. They go on to have a life together in love, finding their passions in both their professions (Nick as a writer for the Boston Globe and novels, Jay in restoring boats - something I appreciated because after his injury, he's established to be disabled, but nonetheless gets to live a life doing labor that he enjoys, and as a disabled person, I rarely see disabled characters get to go on to happily do physical jobs!), and later, become the caretakers for Daisy Buchanan's daughter Pam when it becomes clear that Daisy's wishes for Pam do not match up with Pam's desires.

The story itself is largely about finding love and family in places that you may not expect, while also experiencing the reality of being people who are not accepted by others. I appreciate that Odasso is very clear that these characters are benefitting from financial privilege throughout most of the text, and how that privilege does allow them not only the means to live well and travel, but also to remain private in their "proclivities" as queer people. There are historical references & geographical references that help to structure the story, as well as provide context for the nature of their private identities. It feels almost like a wishful story, a dream that if queer people had financial security and privilege, and if we had the privacy granted by a world before the internet (which since I was a teen has been the nightmare of doxxing, stalking, & zero privacy), perhaps, in some spaces, we could live happy lives without the interference of the world and its cruelty. However, it does not ignore that there are bad things happening around them.

It references various concerns of family rejection, as well as detailing some of those events, as well as societal risk. Later in the book, time has passed and Odasso does address World War II, including the Holocaust. While I think that it would be possible to look at this and think it's unusual to bring up, since the main characters don't engage, I felt that it was actually a really good way to highlight the privilege that these characters have in the book, residing in the United States, as white people (aside from Pam's girlfriend at this time, Sylvie, who has Jewish family in Europe & is Creole) who can do little more than express how they wish they could help. Sometimes, marginalized people with some degree of privilege (but not necessarily the kind that can do things like change public policy or rescue refugees) like these characters are framed as being able to just like, rescue others in need, but it's not often that simple, but the text presents it as just as frustrating and irritating as it feels to me. Rich queer people, with all your money, can't you do more? In today's world, maybe. In the era this is set, possibly not, not without immediately risking their lives and becoming ineffectual going forward. I also, having followed Odasso's work for over two decades, know that they are not as distant from the history of the Holocaust as readers might think, so I see the importance of including this reflection on both the encroaching horror and how little was done. If they had written in this time period and not mentioned it, I think it would have done the story and the history a disservice.

Jay and Nick are largely presented as flawed people who are just trying to recover from a traumatic event and find some sort of life in a world where people like them aren't accepted. They do find others like them, and have fun parties, but those parties are like blips on the domestic path they experience. One of the reoccurring themes is alcohol, obviously, as well as alcoholism, and trying to reduce the negative and harmful behaviors of their past, learn to moderate, and moderate their tendencies to fight with people they love as well.

Daisy is part of the story, and frankly is presented in the only appropriate way I felt she should be. She's a difficult cousin to Nick, and a mother with uncaring expectations for her daughter. In Gatsby, she's established to be someone who is a product of her environment - a desire for financial security and financial privilege, and a degree of selfishness. While Gatsby's original presentation of Daisy may be flawed because of his own perception, the rest of the characters largely carry on the same characterization of the original text, so it makes sense that it continues with Daisy as well.

She is also characteristic of the high class, wealthy attitude towards eugenics & societal expectations in America, as characterized in her treatment of Pam when Pam, in her teens, is revealed to be intersex, or the closest understanding of intersex at the time that they had. It's a complex revelation and importantly executed. Daisy wants to have Pam medically examined through surgery, concerned that she won't be able to have children because of her lack of a menstrual cycle & therefore won't find a husband. Nick & Jay object, supporting Pam's own objection, and take her in to protect her. Daisy does continue financially supporting Pam, keeping her privileged and protected and able to pursue the education she wants, but essentially (like in the Gatsby novel) she's not concerned about having a close relationship, especially once it's clear that Pam loves women and wants to be an educated writer. Odasso does regularly ensure that there are large elements of Daisy's behaviors that are influenced by her difficult husband, Tom, who is bigoted and active politically, including the fact that Daisy keeps almost everything about Pam's life after her teens veiled to Tom. There is a positive, though fraught, scene at Pam's graduation where Tom learns of Sylvie & Pam's relationship, & it is shown that Daisy also recently met Sylvie. It feels like a genuine presentation of privileged, conservative parents having a queer, intersex child that they don't understand, don't truly accept, but don't want to feel like failures for not having gotten the child they expected or wanted. The way that Odasso has Nick and Jay accept Pam as she is feels, in a way, a dreamlike, wishful thing of what it could be to have family who you love and identify with accept you and give you a safe space to exist. It made me wistful.

The book obviously also includes some really lovely, lightly detailed but very intimate scenes between Jay and Nick that are written beautifully and capture a specific sensation of need & fulfillment that Odasso is brilliant at. I have always loved Odasso's work, but some of these scenes are ones that feel so sweet and yet as though they've been snatched from time and memory, like hurried moments drawn out to engage the passions while allowing leisurely return to calm. I really loved every single one, because they entice while not overwhelming or offending, & often have elements of humor (and I love that they recognize the physical limitations and aging of the characters!).

I truly loved the whole story, and I didn't feel like I needed to revisit Gatsby to reengage with these characters or to enjoy the snippets of their life. I feel like, too often, fiction wants to fill in all the gaps, redevelop characterization or overcharacterize, but as a reader, I truly enjoy having spaces of time between scenes and open exploration of the way the characters act and experience things. I could connect plenty of dots throughout the story to find ways that the characters behaved, even in the first few scenes I knew who they were and how they were very quickly, but there was enough space for me to see pieces of myself, people I love, and elements of fiction that I adore peeking through, whether imagined or otherwise! I feel like more fiction could benefit from such a paced & thoughtful engagement.

Overall, I think that The Pursued and the Pursuing is an excellent retelling of the end of The Great Gatsby, with complex and open characters, truthfulness to the original story in characterization and setting, and queer reinterpretation and exploration that captures a dream of what it could be to have privilege, privacy, and possibilities in a time where maybe that wasn't really too common for queer people. I can't wait for what Odasso releases next, because I enjoyed every minute!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Dart Frog Books and Netgalley for an arc of this book.

What if Gatsby hadn't died at the end of The Great Gatsby? This story picks up where TGG left off, but Gatsby isn't dead, and he and Nick recognize their feelings for each other. It is organized as multiple short stories that happen throughout the rest of their lives.

This was such a feel-good book. I definitely feel like everyone recognizes the homoerotic subtext within The Great Gatsby and it is so nice to have Nick's pov turn into this! I loved the addition of Pammy--grown up, and how Nick's niece changed his and Gatsby's life. I love that Pam is intersex and there is all kinds of other diversity in this book!

It takes a lot to turn this book into something more aligned with the ideals of our time, and I love that Odasso has done it for us! Truly reconciles the problems from the original novel and makes Nick and Gatsby both much more likable characters.

This did read a bit disjointed and not all the stories/chapters felt entirely necessary. I definitely feel like I would have liked this better had it had a more consistent plot? I still enjoyed it though!

Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Homophobia

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby entered the public domain in the United States this year, making space for this sequel by AJ Odasso, The Pursued and the Pursuing. In this version, Jay Gatsby survives the bullet from Myrtle's husband, and during his recovery he rekindles his old feelings for Nick Carraway (who narrates the original novel as well as this sequel). Jay and Nick reveal to each other that, in addition to having tried to settle down with women, they had brief affairs with other men, but they have never stopped thinking about each other.

That the newspaper has already run an obituary for the socialite Jay Gatsby gives him an opportunity to reinvent himself as—or, more accurately, revert himself to—his James Gatz identity. He and Nick have lots of sex, live as partners, and are cavalier about their obviousness, so people in close proximity tend to pick up that they are a couple. Meanwhile, Jay's old girlfriend Daisy Buchanan gets back in touch. Jay and Nick don't much care for her or her husband Tom, but they adore her teenage daughter Pam, who has her own sexuality and gender journey and becomes like a surrogate daughter to them. Thus they spend the 1930s.

Odasso's voice in this novel is different from F. Scott Fitzgerald's, especially in the homoerotic escapades and related discussions which feel much more modern, but neither is it entirely dissimilar from Fitzgerald's. It's an homage, and there's some artistic continuity in the setting, the language, and the rhythm of the sentences. It's a good balance between familiar and speculative, breathing new life into old characters.

Do we need a gay Gatsby? Yes. Yes, we do.

The ending draws the novel gently to a close. At that point, the story feels not quite wrapped up, but perhaps nothing needs to be wrapped up. Instead, the ending draws us to a very particular place we need to be.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, DartFrog Books, and AJ Odasso for the eARC of The Pursued and the Pursuing in exchange for an honest review.

This book serves as a what-if, posing the question "What would happen if Jay Gatsby didn't die?" Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, The Pursued and the Pursuing follows Nick and Jay together through their lives in their 30s and 40s.

The first third of the book is essentially Nick and Jay traveling the world. It didn't feel like there was much of a point to have such a significant chunk of the book to be about this. Once Nick and Jay decided to settle down, the story seemed to pick up and have more of a point to it. I wish there was more time spent on Nick and Jay's relationship with Pammy instead of the excessive traveling in the beginning.

I was glad the author had a lot of callbacks to things that had happened in The Great Gatsby but felt that it was hard to remember the context to many of those instances because I haven't read TGG in a while.

This book is what it started out to be: fanfic. I feel like the author missed the mark on a few moments and on parts of the character's identities. It would be a good read if you found it on a fanfiction site, but not the sort of thing that should be published into a book.

Although I did, for the most part, enjoy the last half of the book, it's not anything stellar and is essentially just subpar fanfic.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent last semester reading and studying adaptations of Shakespeare which included prequels and sequels to some of his most popular works. I wouldn't be surprised if similarly a few years from now The Pursued and the Pursuing appeared in the syllabus of such a university class regarding F. Scott Fitzgerald.

What would happen if The Great Gatsby ended differently. If Nick and Jay had the chance to act on their mutual attraction that's undoubtedly among the pages of the source novel? I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them change as they lived their life and seeing little Pam grow up.

And look, it has very varied ratings. Some loved it, some hated it. I think that's the characteristic of all great literary works. Thank you so much NetGalley and DartFrog Books for the ARC. I'm in the former category.

(Also to those who bemoan the fact that this is basically just a fanfiction: all adaptations are fanfiction when you think about it.)

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby in which Jay does not die as a result of a gunshot, but rather lives and enters a life-long passionate relationship with Nick Carraway, the narrator of the book (and Daisy's cousin). And later along, Tom and Daisy's daughter Pam becomes a surrogate daughter to the two men.

Now, if you are like me and reluctantly read this classic in high school, you may have the same problem as I did. I didn't recall every last detail and so when Odasso briefly mentions a particular scene or two .... it was hard to get up to speed on what exactly happened in that scene and what they were drawing from that scene. For example, "the ceremony {...} reminded me of nothing so much as the ill-fated day on which we'd all piled into Tom's coupe and Jay's Kissel and had let our irritable mutual hatred do the rest." Okay, sure. Also, there is little character development beyond the original, again perhaps assuming that we had a strong memory and understanding of the original.

At times, I felt like I was reading (and not always getting) the jokes in the New Yorker magazine. For example, Nick shares a humorous postcard Pam creates to capture New Orleans:

It featured a parade of cartoonish alligators in Mardi Gras beads. On the reverse, Pam had scrawled: TO MESSRS. BOSWELL & JOHNSON WITH REGARDS, CAN'T SPELL OR FIT THE REST. WISH YOU WERE HERE. [...] She might make a fine humorist if she put her mind to cultivating the impluse at greater length.

Uumm, okay. Can anyone else just see a vintage New Yorker cartoon? And if so, can you explain it to me?

At the end of the book, thinking back upon Jay and Nick's life together, it feels languid and half-realized. In much the same way the Great Gatsby gives us a world of illusion and facade, Jay and Nick's life together reads the same, IMHO. Fantastic parties where coworkers dance on tables and sneak off to the library for amorous trysts, epic love-soaked long train trips together, Venice, Paris, a charming house on Beacon Hill, a hazy summer exploring New Orleans ("an entire port-of-call filled with untainted memories for us to share."), and so on.

While this particular alternate history did not work for me, it has pushed me toward rereading The Great Gatsby. 3 stars (and I may revisit this review after reading the original classic).

I received an ARC from the author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing "alternate" continuation of The Great Gatsby, where, no spoilers because it happens on page 1, Nick saves Gatsby's life after the shooting, and then they fall in love.

A bit too episodic and jumpy for me-- the narrator had a tendency to condense things, then go backwards and explain them. But it was intriguing so I soldiered on, beating against the current, so to speak, to the satisfying ending.

If you ever read Gatsby and wanted Nick and Jay to have a HEA, then this is the book for you.

[Elin Nilsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review!

I really liked that this was a sort of continuation of TGG, a "what if?" story. It was interesting to see this author's take on the story and the characters. Another thing I appreciated was that it was written similarly to TGG, which made it feel more "authentic", I guess.

I wasn't in the right mood for this, unfortunately. But I'm certain that other people are going to love it!

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)

Rep: gay mc, bi li, intersex sapphic side character, Black Jewish sapphic side character

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher, DartFrog Books, for providing me with the digital ARC for this book!

I've been reading and following Odasso's work for years. If you're lucky enough to be just discovering them with their first published work of fiction, congrats! It's been a wonderful journey through several books of poetry for them to get here. (That being said, DO seek out their poetry when you're done!)

I'm jumping the horse a bit because I've only just started this, but I can attest through years of amazing work that it's going to be beautiful. Odasso has never shied away from dealing with the harder areas of life in their work and I expect this one to be no different. But they definitely have a way of making them not as...sharp.

(I know I use the word "amazing" a lot, but it's very true. I'm always just generally left in awe by Odasso's work--how beautiful the diction is, the smooth flow, the sheer, evocative power of their text. You'll inevitably find something that hits home for you and it'll be one heck of a journey!)

I will update this to a full review once I post my notes to NetGalley, but this isn't one to miss. If you're a fan of The Great Gatsby, pick it up without hesitation. And even if you're not (like me, but I jump at the chance to read anything Odasso writes!), I have no doubt you'll be impressed by the special brand of beauty and storytelling that's trademark to Odasso.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and DartFrog Books for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

Now that The Great Gatsby is in the public domain I've seen quite a few tie-ins and retellings. I don't think F. Scott Fitzgerald would like this book, with Nick and Gatsby gay and in love and a female character actually moving cleverly and significantly through space, but I sure did.

The Pursued and the Pursuing supposes that Gatsby doesn't die after Mr. Wilson shoots him and instead he and Nick fall in love, travel the world, and settle in Boston. Ten years on they meet with Daisy and her daughter Pam and Pam enters their life in a significant way and stays there for a number of years.

My favorite part of this book was Odasso's attempt to keep Nick's narrative voice similar to how it was in the original novel. I also enjoyed the many references and allusions to The Great Gatsby.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Great Gatsby so thought it would be a great read. Plus the cover is total fun!!
It is described by one reader as odd and charming.
Although not the read I was expecting, I am delighted this story found so many readers who love it!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dart Frog Books, for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 28, 2021

[golden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers, the author, and NetGalley for giving me an early access copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

TLDR: While I recognize that this book has a lot of really good elements, I don't think this book was really for me. I liked it but at times it was a drag to read. If you really loved Gatsby (either the movie or the book) I think this book is for you.

The Pursued and the Pursuing is a continuation of the classic 1920s novel The Great Gatsby where instead of dying, Gatsby faked his own death. I think this book is good, but just not really for me. While I liked the original novel well enough in high school, I don't think I liked it enough to love this book. The book is really well written and the characters are good, but this book read like a fanfiction. This is not a bad thing, I love fanfiction, but it did give me the sense that I was reading a fanfiction for a fandom that I was not a part of.

Overall, it is a good book. If you were really into Gatsby you will really like this book.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley for the book. I am a Great Gatsby sucker and this book was exactly what I needed. It's the second Gatsby adaptation I've read this year (the first being The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo) and it was very different from the first. This book is a continuation of the first, a "what happens after" story and it's just beautiful and heartwarming and sweet. It reads like a fix it fic to be honest - I'm 90% sure it was fan fiction to begin with - but I loved that. Lots of tropes that I loved, sweet interactions, writing that felt close to Fitzgerald's style. There were one or two things that I didn't love about it - a couple of problematic things that I'm not sure were discussed in the best way (while they may have been periodically accurate I don't think that means that we should write like that) but overall very sweet and soft and funny and excellent.

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, LOVE (sorry for shouting ) yet , wanted to make sure , everyone knows I love this reimagined take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Highly recommend to all whom loved the original and loves MM romance.

I just reviewed The Pursued and the Pursuing by AJ Odasso. #ThePursuedandthePursuing #NetGalley

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this did have some major problems, it wasn’t awful. RTC
Overall Rating: 3 Stars

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%. Mediocre, shallowly-characterized fanfic. And like. Respect Odasso's hustle, getting their fanfic published. But there's better fanfic out there, more deserving of making that leap.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for those who read The Great Gatsby and saw something between Nick and Jay that many didn’t. This was a good fun read of characters that we thought we knew. It makes some very obvious changes to the original story for the sake of a plot. At some point it felt a bit like I was reading fan fiction, but then I realized that it was too well written to be fanfic. All around a good and fun read.

[Mug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a delight! It was easygoing, it was short but sweet and its simplicity as a story made it all the more enjoyable to read. The language and references fit the era of the story very well and I was delighted to see how society slowly changed as these characters aged. It felt exactly as it was presented: the memoir of a man who'd spent too many years of his life surrounded by conflict and questionable morals who now wanted to enjoy his days simply surrounded by those he loved.

As an avid fanfiction reader, I'm always delighted to see different authors' perspectives on characters and AJ Odasso really brought life to Pam (Tom and Daisy's daughter) who was witty, deeply enticed by knowledge and desperate for a chance outside of the life that had been decided for her. Overall it was a nice story about forming your own family and being determined to thrive in a society that wasn't made for you.

[Sarah Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I distinctly remember reading the web novella that would eventually become this final book years ago in college. I had read the Great Gatsby before for school, but the movie had prompted me to take a second look at the text, particularly the relationship between Nick and Gatsby.

The beautiful cover only enticed me further and I knew I had to read it again. I'm delighted to say this is better than I remember it being, and I remember loving that novella quite well.

Of course seeing Nick and Gatsby come together, with a slight deviation from the novel's events, is quite good. that should almost go without saying. But yes, the book really picks up when Pam enters the picture and we get found queer family. From here we see an older Nick and Gatsby and how their personalities have changed and settled with time, to the point that Nick even self-deprecatingly notes they seemed to have switched roles at times. The book is really quite charming, with Nick and Gatsby's relationship remaining steadfast through life's obstacles.

I also appreciate the little touches that transport us back in time to an earlier era - discussions of WWI, worry as WWII started up, as well as smaller touches such as characters having to hunt for a phone. Plus, the language overall feels true to the characters and Fitzgerald's style - I don't envy anyone who tries to emulate that and Odasso has succeeded quite well at the task.

Do I have any criticisms? Aside from a couple of small typos that I noticed, not really (a scene in chapter 5 or 6 confused me briefly, with Daisy's name used when in context it's clearly Pam who's speaking). Perhaps the only other thing I can point to is that, for me at least, there was a slight lag between Nick and Gatsby coming together and Pam entering their lives.

Still, I highly recommend this book for Gatsby lovers, readers who want to curl up with a slice-of-life story that still has some impressive stakes at times, and people seeking an LBGTQIA+ book with diverse representation.

[Drianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published Gatsby/Nick fanfic.

And it reads like it, sadly. This is just *too* self-indulgent. I really wanted to love it, I did, but nothing in it was convincing. The story is mainly about Gatsby and Nick raising Daisy's daughter, after meandering through a story of them getting together. Nothing felt true.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up. I have a deep respect for the novel The Great Gatsby, including the tragedy inherent in its storyline. However, at some point in our lives, I think we have all wanted to imagine a happier ending for an otherwise doomed character in a beloved book- and that is exactly what The Pursued and the Pursuing sets out to do. In this story, Jay and Nick's ending takes a different turn. Jay survives the ending of Gatsby (spoilers for a 100-year-old book, but if you haven't read the original Fitzgerald novel I would NOT suggest starting with this one anyway), and Nick stays by his side. From there, the novella becomes a deeply intimate, haunting, heartfelt examination of the two characters' feelings for one another- which, in very short order, turn out to be romantic.

Odasso brings many gifts to the telling of this story. Much like in the original novel, their command of language gives the book an almost poetic quality; there was clearly an effort made to imitate the lyricism of Fitzgerald's writing style, in addition to Odasso's own characteristically complex sentences and contemplative narration. The themes of imagery in The Great Gatsby reoccur here: the idea of ghosts and haunting, the contrast of being pulled (or, shall we say, borne back) towards a fleeting past while at the same time imagining ahead to a future that is almost within reach, the symbolism of eyes and the significance of being observed or watched. If you pay attention to the prose, especially if you have just read the original novel, there is layer upon layer of meaning to uncover. (The parallels to Nick and Jay's storyline reenacted in a scene from Hamlet, near the end of this book, nearly took my breath away.)

The other strength of this story is in the treatment of the characters. This is particularly true of Pam, Daisy's daughter (three years old in the original canon, now a teenager and young adult), who becomes a pivotal presence in TPATP. Pam is a deftly woven character, a force of chaotic mischief; her troublemaking and pride evoke hints of Daisy's careless nature, but without the cruelty and self-importance the latter represents. Odasso gives her not only an interesting arc of her own, but also little quirks- an affinity for eating dessert before dinner, a love of pranks, a tendency towards shoelessness- that are repeated often enough to be distinct but not so much as to be heavy-handed. It is clear, both in the writing of our two leads and the effort made to develop supporting and original characters, that the author loves these characters. Odasso makes their love fervent and all-encompassing, even life-redeeming; as a reader, it results in breathtaking moments where the plot may not be all that grandiose, but the emotion behind it renders me helpless and incapable of not feeling the same love.

In the interest of fairness, I will admit that my own background with stories like this has a strong influence on my positive impression of the book. Had I not spent the past 20 years of my life immersed in the fanfiction world, where fix-its and quietly impressionistic stories like this are standard- or even had I not read this in an earlier format prior to its publication- I might not have been as glowing, although I believe I would still have enjoyed it. I can imagine a different version of myself who might have wanted a little more time to elapse before Nick and Jay become romantically involved in the story (although, given its economical structure, I admit I don't know what I would have filled that space with); similarly, I might have wanted individual events to impact one another more and lead up to something more specific, rather than just the passage of time and the settling into a life together, if I hadn't had the experience with these types of stories that I do. There are certainly critiques to be had, and I don't think this story is right for all readers because of them. But for me, it is like a glimpse into a beautiful little world. Instead of worrying about how it maps out in comparison to what I'd want from a traditional novel, I just let myself get carried away on the beautiful language and the hopefulness and possibility of a second chance at love. If you think you can do the same, I strongly suggest you get your hands on this book.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly? I thought I was an alright book. Not gonna lie, the first forth turned me off in it a bit and I had to put down for a week before convincing myself to pick it up again, but I’m actually really glad that I did!

Spoilers

I’m a person with some particular tastes, ok? I mostly read for the romance of stories, and I really enjoy slow burns. I’m a person who craves more emotional stories, rather than sexually-driven ones. This book about turned me off instantly. They get together fairly quick, like in the second chapter I think??? And then immediately start having tons of sex. Thats a huge no-no for me. I really don’t enjoy sex senes at all and I had to skim past plenty of them in this book. I understand that there are a lot of people who don’t mind that sort of stuff, though, and it’s more of a personal problem for me as a reader.

Everything started coming together about one third way into the book, though. As soon as Pam was introduced, I was hooked. It started forming a story, finally, with some interesting interactions and a bit of drama. The sex scenes slowed down into mild make-out scenes occasionally, which there were still a bit too much of in my opinion, but it was definitely more my speed. The domestic fluffy parts started to show up and it had had me finishing up the rest of the book in one night. I love the idea if Pam being their kind-of daughter, and i just really enjoyed pam as a character. And the growing old together? Thats Great! I love that sort of thing.

Speaking of charter, I wouldn’t say they were the exact same as in the original novel. I say they kind of characterize Daisy as the villain a bit too much, and i’m a little disappointed in Jays relationship with her in this book. After everything that happened between them in the first book, like his literal obsession with her for years. The fact that he took the fall for her and got shot and basically died in the first book? Yeah, in this book he just kind of passively ignores all that. Theres no emotional tension between them whatsoever, and it drives me insane because thats definitely not something that I feel like he would do. I think the author is trying to imply that he’s grown past all of that, but, come on. This is the same guy who met a woman once, bought a mansion across from hers, and was throwing parties almost every night for the sole purpose of MAYBE get to see her again, for years! He’s allowed to be a little dramatic. Nick was kind of a wet noodle in the first book, and I think that author did an alright job with him in this book at least. And Pam was awesome too. I love her.

I feel as though the dramatic moments were a little downplayed as well? Like, I personally think some of the reveals were miss-handled and could have been done a lot better, considering the grand past that these characters have. The biggest disappointment was how Pam figured out who Gatsby was by reading a paper. Which is fine I guess, but then Nick has a freak out and pulls jay over to talk to talk to him in private about it. The scene has tension, and could be going somewhere. Then they start making out and it just RUINS the tension. Like, no? This is not make-out time? This is a dramatically reveal your life story to Pam sort of time.


One last complaint ( I SWEAR) is that they go on wayyyy to many vacations. I feel as though they just use them as a move-the-story-forward device because nothing really happens all that often. I seriously can’t even count how many times they went on a vacation this book, and thats bad. I wouldn’t even mind it all that much if they had done some interesting things on vacation, but they are all so boring and unremarkable.

Did I like this book? Yeah. It had its problems, but its reaaaally hard to find long Gatsby fan-fiction like this and this book just scratched that itch for me. Yeah, the first forth was sucky for me, but I really did enjoy reading the domestic found family situation and the growing-old-with-the-love-of-your-life stuff. It was a very romantic book overall, and I enjoyed that. It’s a 4-10 for me bois.

[Holley Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pursued and The Pursuing by AJ Odasso starts where The Great Gatsby left off, except that Jay Gatsby doesn’t die but most people think that he did. Nick helps Jay to recover and keeps his whereabouts a secret. Then they take whatever is left of Jay’s money and travel the world. Nick and Jay fall in love. Maybe their steamy romance wasn’t supposed to last but it did. It is a different take on what happened to The Great Gatsby character. I didn’t have trouble with the characters being men. I just couldn’t picture them as Leonardo DiCaprio and what’s-his-name. Blame what’s-his-name I guess. I just cannot picture him being romantic with anyone – not even Mary Jane in Spiderman. So I just imagined two anonymous handsome guys. It’s probably weird.

After traveling the world for awhile, they settle down in Boston. Nick writes for a newspaper and Jay repairs old yachts. They have a nice life together. Then one day years after they left New York, Daisy calls Nick. She needs a bit of help with her daughter, Pam.

Pam has an fairly unique story. She’s very bright but Daisy thinks that something is not right. The doctors think that she has XY chromosomes instead of XX. The doctors want to do surgery. Daisy wants to let them. I’m not sure why they think surgery will help. She probably has Swyer syndrome – so she has female parts but will not go through puberty or have children without borrowing eggs and receiving hormone replacement therapy.

I think Pam identifies as being a female and a lesbian. She doesn’t seem interested in surgery to change her body. Nick is protective of Pam and refuses to allow the surgery. No one wants to tell Tom because he’s even more unpleasant than ever. He might love his daughter but he doesn’t understand her at all. Ugh. Tom.

Nick and Jay love Pam as if she were their own daughter. No one really likes Daisy. Why was Jay so obsessed with her? She’s not ever been likable. Sometimes I thought Pam was trying to deceive Nick and Jay. Can Pam be trusted? Her parents are liars so why should she be different? I like Pam but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

If you like steamy romances and a little bit of decadence, then you will enjoy The Pursued and the Pursuing.

Well, I guess if you aren’t a fan of LGBT romance or fiction, then you are missing out on a great book.

I read this as part of the BookRiot 2021 Read Harder Challenge. #8 – Read a romance by a trans or nonbinary author

[Janine "Eli" · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was really waiting a while for this to become available to read ever since i heard it was getting published after i came across it in a03, i even went and put the release date on my calendar.

when the book finally came out (and when i finally started reading it), i was really excited because i loved the great gatsby (and of course, the underlying queer themes in it)

i finally finished it tonight and all i can really say is that...eh, ok.

i personally dont think it's a terrible affront to humanity or anything, but it's not a blessing either. it is fairly slow and fluffy, little to no (if any) conflict really happens-- it really is just a straight sequel picking up from the end of the great gatsby (and even then it really reads like a fix-it fanfic, which in its defense, it is).

i dont think the lack of a central conflict is what drags this book down, but the characterization. im sure other reviewers have said it before, but the way odasso treats the character of daisy buchanan is... unsavory.

daisy isn't my favorite character at all in the original book, but the way she was written here really just erases the tragic undertones of her characterization in the great gatsby, being essentially a trophy wife or someone to fight for and nothing else.

not to mention the lack of jordan baker is really disappointing. jordan could've been such a great character in a story like this but she's only mentioned in passing. we know next to nothing of what could've happened to her in the events following gatsby's death (or survival in this case).

i also feel that jay as a character also felt...dull, which is particularly odd as he's literally the great gatsby.

idk, i wanted so much to love this book but it really is just short and sweet, and something to read if you really wanted to see nick and jay get together and grow old together (+pam and the found family trope she adds to the fic, which is always welcome).

overall, i think it could've definitely been better, but it's a nice casual read if you don't wanna put too much thought into it.