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The Book Nook |
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Even more promising is the publication of first-time novels by the likes of Brent Hartinger (The Geography Club), Matt Bernstein Sycamore and Bart Yates. High among this crop of young gay novelists are the writers who grace Harrington Park Press's Southern Tier Editions. Executively edited by Jay Quinn - himself a promising newcomer just a couple of years ago - the Southern Tier line has emerged as one of our leading outlets for gay male fiction. Because of their contributions to our literature, this year's Southern Tier Books are 2003's Books of the Year. In a previous column I reviewed three of Southern Tier's 2003 publications: Jeff Mann's essay collection Edge, Jonathan Cohen's novel Bear Like Me and Marshall Moore's novel The Concrete Sky. Here are four more Southern Tier books, all novels.
Those of us enjoy Trebor Healey's short stories and poems knew for sure that his first novel would be a masterpiece, and we were right. Through It Came Bright Colors ($19.95) is a fascinating, though disturbing coming-out and coming of age novel. The story of a closeted youth with a secret gay life has been told before, and often. What makes this book stand out is Healey's literary skill and the book's unique characters and situations.
Neill Cullane does not just live "at home" - he's taking care of his brother Peter, who has cancer. And Neill's secret gay life is spent in the San Francisco demimonde, where he indulges in a stormy liaison with Vince Malone, the most unlikeable and interesting character that's crossed the pages of a gay novel in quite some time. Peter and Vince - and not the lackluster Neill - are the heart and soul of Through It Came Bright Colors. Not as literary but perhaps more entertaining is Goneaway Road by Dale Edgerton ($17.95). A flight attendant and a native of North Carolina, Edgerton obviously used his experiences as fodder for his first novel. It is the story of several men and a woman, all natives of Mitchell Hill, North Carolina, who form an extended family that carries them through the promiscuous seventies and into the AIDS-infected 1980's and 1990's. Though Buck, Harry, Evangeline, Ricky Joe and Eric might be too beautiful, talented and arrogant for words; they manage to captivate their forgiving readers as the book carries them through two decades of life's ups and downs. Their careers in the performing arts might falter, their lovers might come and go, and they or their loved ones might get sick and die, but they always have each other to rely on, through thick and thin. And this is something that we can all relate to.
Still, in spite of his envious qualities, Russ has some of the same problems that the rest of us have, among them being his new lover Eric. Will Eric be able to accept the fact that his prospective life-partner is, shall we say, "different?" In addition to Russ and Eric and the fantasy elements that make this book unique and different, The Elf Child also benefits from the characters who support and surround Russ and Eric, including a delightfully squawking parrot named Bird. Last and least of the four novels in this review is Huddle, a light gay sports story by first-timer Dan Boyle ($16.95). This does not mean that Huddle is a bad book. In fact, this tale of the men who play for the L.A. Quake - an amateur flag football team - will be appreciated and enjoyed by all sports-loving queers. Though there is plenty of sports action in Huddle, the book rightfully spends most of its pages dealing with the lives and loves of the team's motley crew. The boys of the L.A. Quake are younger, cuter, buffer and richer than they have the right to be. They also have too much sex, take too many drugs - their weekend at the White Party in Palm Springs is one of the highlights of the book - and even complain too much. But who can hate a group of guys who live hard together, play hard together, and work hard together both on and off the field. More of the Best of 2003: A Baker's Dozen Southern Tier Editions are not the only books that made this year so memorable. Here are thirteen more:
1. Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth by Wayne R. Besen, Harrington Park Press. Masterful exposé of the "ex-gay" movement.
2. The Best Short Stories of Lesléa Newman, Alyson Books. Classic stories from a lesbian literary icon, from A Letter to Harvey Milk (1988) to Bashert (2002). 3. The Drag King Anthology, edited by Donna Troka, Kathleen LeBesco and Jean Bobby Noble, Harrington Park Press. Scholarly but interesting account of a new phenomenon. 4. Gay & Healthy In a Sick Society by Robert N. Minor, Ph.D., Humanity Works! Illuminating and provocative essays about gay life, sex and politics. 5. Leave Myself Behind: A Novel by Bart Yates, Kensington Books. Great coming out tale with a twist. 6. Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin by John D'Emilio, Free Press. Great biography of a great man by a great historian. 7. Pulling Taffy by Matt Bernstein Sycamore, Suspect Thoughts Press, 2003. A first-time, highly erotic novel that crosses the boundaries of fiction, autobiography, and truth.
9. Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: An Unconventional Life Uncensored by Kim Ficera, Kensington Books. Hilarious essays and performance pieces by a lesbian humorist. 10. Songs of the Blind Snowbird by Robert Michael Jacobs, Jay Street Publishers, 2003. Changes in latitudes and attitudes, by a blind gay man who spends his summers in Boston and his winters in Key West. 11. Strapped for Cash: A History of American Hustler Culture by Mack Friedman, Alyson Books, 2003. A hustler's eye view of American history, with pictures. 12. What Night Brings: A Novel by Carla Trujillo, Curbstone Press. Winner of the 2003 Mármol Prize; a fascinating tale of a Latina lesbian's search for identity. 13. Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 by Nan Alamilla Boyd, University of California Press. How San Francisco became America's GLBT capital. Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and lifelong book lover who lives in South Florida. Write him at jessemonteagudo@aol.com . |
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The Books of the Year: 2003 was a good year for gay male fiction. We have seen the publication of new novels by established authors like Christopher Bram (Lives of the Circus Animals), Gary Indiana (Do Everything In the Dark), William J. Mann (Where the Boys Are), Mark Merlis (Man About Town), Paul Russell (The War Against the Animals) and Edmund White (Fanny).
While the characters in the Healey and Edgerton books might go off into the deep end, they remain grounded in reality. We cannot say the same about Russ, the hero of The Elf Child by David M. Pierce ($19.95). Russ is not your typical gay man, looking for love in all the wrong faces. He is a changeling, a magical being who can change his appearance at will and who will always be twenty-something.
8. Pulp Friction: Uncovering the Golden Age of Gay Male Pulps, edited by Michael Bronski, St. Martin's Griffin. Gems from our lost literary past.