Macaroni Heart: A Memoir in Pieces

Raucous and raw, Michael Narkunski’s memoir explores the complicated, unglamorous, and sometimes treacherous side of the queer millennial experience. The twenty interconnected essays trace events from the author’s volatile adolescence in conservative Staten Island to an emotionally armored adulthood in Manhattan, including a teacher crush that turns into a misguided “babysitter’s seduction,” a first boyfriend whose secret prosthetic kicks off the least of their problems, and myriad (fortunately failed) attempts to sabotage a successful long-term relationship. Rather than a “coming out” narrative, Narkunski’s story speaks to those of his generation for whom acknowledging their sexuality was far easier than reaching earnest self-acceptance. Candid and poignant, Macaroni Heart explores identity, belonging, love, sex, validation, and what it ultimately takes to unbecome the version of yourself you once crafted to survive.