How to Deal With the Loss of Study Abroad Through Books

By INDIA DAVID

“The Pairing” by Casey McQuiston is their fourth book; you might know their work if you’ve read their first novel, “Red, White, and Royal Blue.” I have been deeply obsessed with all of their beautiful queer romances since that first book, and every story they have written has always matched what I needed when they came out. This book, in particular, came out a couple of months after I came home from studying abroad in London.

This novel follows Kit and Theo, exes who broke up before their food and wine tour across Europe. Two years later, they decide to take the trip without realizing the other person will be there. The unresolved tension, beautiful descriptions of food, and a “sl*t competition” come together in this glorious and horny novel.

This novel is essential to me post-study abroad. It felt like a five-month dream when I came home from Europe; I woke up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and my life was dull again. The adventures I went on and the friends that I made on that trip were life-changing. I don’t mean to be cheesy, but it’s true, and I needed something to remind myself that those adventures didn’t have to stop. I’ve continued talking to my friends from abroad almost daily, but I miss when I could say yes to any new possibility. That’s where this book comes in.

Reading about Kit and Theo flouncing about Europe without worrying about the problems back home was exquisite. I know that feeling now; it’s not something I can imagine in my head, but instead look back on memories of Lake Como, Italy, or Stockholm, Sweden. I don’t picture the characters’ adventures; I see my own, which is beautiful and sorrowful.

Other aspects of this book started to hit close to home. Romance, lack of communication, and flirting also connect back to me and one of my friends from London. Do you understand how hard it is to read a romance novel and not picture the person you so deeply like? Every kiss described, I thought of her; I couldn’t even focus on the plot. Thankfully, that’s all been resolved in its own little romance novel.

I think the best part of this novel is how sex-positive it is, and I don’t just mean it’s full of smut, though it is. The conversations between the two characters about sex and what it means to each of them are healthy and charming. Even when looking back on human history: “I think the Renaissance came out of Florence because of sex. Everyone was having it, or wanting it, or trying not to want it so they could be a friar, and it was soaking into everything.” 

Through sex positivity, well-rounded characters, a glorious trip across Europe, and a dash of miscommunication, Casey McQuiston has once again written an incredible story with “The Pairing.”

Featured Image: Cover of “The Paring” by By Casey McQuiston