K. Ancrum answers “I'm getting conflicting information here;...”

Siavahda asked this question about The Wicker King (The Wicker King, #1):

I'm getting conflicting information here; the author's website says this is about bi boys, but various reviewers have said it's only queer-baiting, the bisexuality never makes it clearly/explicitly onto the page. Is this a queer novel or not?

K. Ancrum This is a friendship-to-love slow burn scenario from the perspective of an unreliable narrator clinging to the closet door with his fingertips. Jack i…moreThis is a friendship-to-love slow burn scenario from the perspective of an unreliable narrator clinging to the closet door with his fingertips. Jack is bisexual, August is Questioning until the end. Both characters have relationships with girls while obviously being sexually attracted to each other and don't get together until the end of the book. [SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT]

The accusations of queerbaiting honestly filled me with dismay. Maybe because this is a journey where someone slowly comes to terms with his attraction for the whole book, rather than being "out" the whole book some people assumed that this was queerbaiting. <spoiler>But the words "I love you" were definitely explicitly used. August has sex with another character while thinking of Jack (and then panics). In addition, every single character in the book besides the MC tries to point out to the MC that his feelings for his friend may not be platonic. The book is mixed media and one of the art pieces is a note where Jack asks August out-- which he writes in the beginning of the book and doesn't give to August until the end of the book--and August says yes (Which was available in the ARC).

In the final version, not only is the confession more fleshed out, but they also kiss. And more, in the book to be released after this, they are in a Poly family with another character (R) and are raising a child together, who is a major character.

This book was never intended to be anything but queer. It just takes these kids a while to get there, that's all. :)</spoiler>(less)

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