The book has a visceral impact, much like a sudden whiff of gasoline. It combines tenderness and rage in a way that is both disorienting and powerful.
The reviewer notes that the book's title is metaphorical, as it doesn't literally smell of gasoline but has a similar jarring effect on the reader. They praise the combination of tenderness and rage, which creates a powerful and disorienting experience. The reviewer also highlights how the book serves as a disavowal of a world that sought to marginalize and destroy the author. They appreciate the raw emotional depth and the way the book challenges the reader to confront uncomfortable truths. The reviewer finds the book to be a radical and necessary read, one that leaves a lasting impression.
Quick quotes
While the book does not smell of gasoline, it does have the same effect on the reader's body as a short sharp sudden whiff of gas.
Combining text and image, tenderness and rage, Wojnarowicz's Memories That Smell Like Gasoline is a disavowal of the world that wanted him dead.
The book serves as a disavowal of a world that sought to marginalize and destroy the author.