Casey McQuiston

Biography

Casey McQuiston is a queer author well known for writing the novel Red,White,& Royal Blue as well as One Last Stop. McQuiston grew up in Louisiana, attending Louisiana State University, gaining her degree in journalism. McQuiston has held many jobs prior to publishing her books, some of which include freelance work, a waitress, and working in magazine publishing. McQuinstion, queer, identifies as non-binary, going by they/them pronouns. They are very open about this piece of them as a person, as well as being very open about how their ADHD affects their writing. They talk about how after their father's death, they struggled with mental health problems, which led them to turn to writing to help them cope which led to their writing of Red, White & Royal Blue as well as One Last Stop . (1)

Red, White, & Royal Blue

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 Harrison Hill from the Las Angeles Review of Books describes the plot of the novel as "a rivalry-turned-romance between the Prince of Wales and the First Son of the United States"(2). This book includes topics like LGBTQ+ conversation and relationships and the Presidential election as well as the Royal Family. It showcases the first son of the United States fallen in love with the Prince of England, an LGBTQ+ relationship. Red, White & Royal Blue also debuted on the New York Times Paper Trade Fiction bestseller list as number 15 on the list in 2019. (1)  After this book was published, it was picked up by Prime Video having a Movie be made from it. The movie  was released August 11th 2023. 

Link to movie made after book Red White & Blue 

Literary Review

Harrison Hill from the LA Review of Books says he "couldn’t help but imagine how much my younger self might’ve enjoyed it — how it represents a whole category of books that might’ve helped fill the literary drought of my adolescence." (2)

Hill also says "Indeed, part of the book’s pleasure is in its unabashed willingness to be conventional — all while taking the decidedly unconventional tack of casting two men as the central romantic leads."(2)

One Last Stop

Kamrun Nesa from the journal NPR describes McQuiston as able to "Make the New York City subway

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sexy and magical — and make readers feel so five minutes ago for not having our own public transit meet-cutes"(3) through her book One Last Stop. In McQuiston's novel she takes us through the life of 23 year old August who moves to New York City, trying to find her place in the world. Mesa continues on to explain that. In One Last Stop we as readers also see McQuiston interweave their identities within the book. Through this book we see an individual figuring out who they are, which seems very similar to McQuistion's story, almost like they are viewing themselves through a mirror as this character. Seeing McQuiston weave herself and her identities through their books in different ways was very interesting to see, and was a connection I was only able to make after researching them as a person, separate from their books.

Literary Review 

Nesa from NPR says that "McQuiston delicately juxtaposes the past with the present, evoking nostalgia for classic music (and terrestrial radio!) and beloved institutions, while brewing possibilities for a more accepting society" in her book One Last Stop.(3)

Nesa continues to state that McQuiston's writing allows "The conversations around identity in particular demonstrate that — to a certain degree — Last Stop is not just an evolution of McQuiston's exquisite craft, but an extension of her debut Red, White and Royal Blue."(3)

(1) McQuiston and her book

Reflection

McQuiston is an author I read prior to doing this blog, but as I worked through learning more about them as a person, I became amazed with the profound tenacity they portray as an author. Not only did McQusiton struggle with losing a parent, but they struggled with their identity as well as mental health problems. They include LGBTQ+ identities within their works, showcasing that identity is important and something that should be included in writing. They also advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in addition to speaking on the topic of mental health. When I originally read this book I thought it was good, but after getting to know McQuiston as an author, I understand more and more about it.

Works Cited
(1) “Casey McQuiston.” Wikipedia, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_McQuiston


(2 )Hill, Harrison. “Unthinking Pleasure: On Casey McQuiston’s “Red, White & Royal Blue.”” Los Angeles Review of Books, 28 December 2019, https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/unthinking-pleasure-on-casey-mcquistons-red-white-royal-blue.


(3) Nesa, Kamrun. “Review: 'One Last Stop,' By Casey McQuiston.” NPR, 6 June 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/06/06/1003374310/love-rides-the-q-train-in-this-supernaturally-sweet-romance


(4) Egan, Elisabeth. “For Casey McQuiston, the Message Is in the Details (Published 2022).” The New York Times, 2 June 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/books/review/i-kissed-shara-wheeler-casey-mcquiston.html.


(5) Hale, Lyra. “'One Last Stop', 'Red White & Royal Blue', and The Fetishizing of M/M Relationships.” Fangirlish, 22 June 2021, https://fangirlish.com/2021/06/22/one-last-stop-red-white-royal-blue-and-the-fetishizing-of-m-m-gay-relationships/.