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Every Man for Himself: A Novel of Love, Romance and Finding Mr. Right by Orland Outland; Kensington Books; 265 pages; $22.00. 
Every Man for Himself is the latest offering from the
multi-talented Orland Outland, author of the Binky and Doan mysteries
(Death Wore A Smart Little Outfit, et al.) and The Principles: The Gay
Man's Guide to Finding Mr. Right. Every Man for Himself pokes fun at the nineties' gay obsession with the perfect body and at "cocktail divorces" which often happens when a partner who expects to die finds himself living instead --and with the same old lover. It is also a valentine to San Francisco, the city that Orland calls home. John Eames is thirty-three years old and married to Harrison, a middle-aged college professor. John met Harrison when John, a PWA, was on disability and not expected to live. But John did not reckon with medical progress nor with his doctor, who prescribed a protease inhibitor cocktail to fight the HIV and steroids to build up John's testosterone level. A few trips to the gym later and John has a body many gay men want (on themselves and on their sex partners), while Harrison remains, well, Harrison. Echoing the phrase made immortal by Miss Peggy Lee ("Is that all there is?"), John heads out to the hot boy bars, where he meets Brian, a cute 21-year old, and the rest is history.
John goes off to Babylon, a gay resort obviously based on several well-known queer destinations. By the same token, the discos where John and his pals party are obviously based on popular Frisco clubs. There are even "real life" SF landmarks in Every Man for Himself: the Castro (of course), and the Coit Tower, among others. While many a book has been written about AIDS or People With AIDS, Every Man for Himself is one of the first books that I know of that deals with the life of a PWA lightheartedly and humorously. Thanks to the "cocktail", many PWAs now have the opportunity to live their lives anew, even if they make fools of themselves in the process. In addition to John himself, at least three of the supporting characters live with HIV, and these are not cardboard stereotypes but complex and fascinating individuals. Other characters do not come out so good. A prime example is Patsy, John's friend and co-worker to whom John makes a wake-up call every morning. If I had a dollar for every depiction of the "fag hag", in gay literature, movies or drama, I'll be rich enough to retire. Many women dislike the "fag hag" stereotype, and I don't blame them. Physically unattractive, emotionally insecure, and only living to provide assistance to the gay male friend who constantly "steals" the men she is interested in, the "fag hag" might be some queens' idea of what women are like but has nothing to do with reality. Throughout Every Man for Himself, Outland and his characters talk about body-building as if it was a sacred calling, which in a sense it is. This "muscle culture" is a large part of modern gay life, if only to negate the stereotypical view of gay men as being wither effeminate or emaciated. Still, I wish there were more characters like John's friend Ethan, who doesn't work out but gets a boy friend anyway. And why must Harrison work out to get his lover back? OK, I realize this is the only real chance Harrison has of getting back his prodigal lover; after all, why should John go home for meatloaf when he has filet mignon out every night. But it would be nice if John would learn to appreciate his "old lover" the way he was and to realize that muscles are not everything (yeah, sure!). Though you can't judge a book by its cover, Every Man for Himself has a particularly eye-catching one: one large and three small photos (by Don Banks) of three gay friends horsing around and having a good time. It is a wonderful cover, but what does it have to do with Every Man for Himself? Though they are attractive enough, the guys on the cover are no muscle gods, which is what John and his pals obviously are. Still, Banks is a good photographer - he did that wonderful shot of a gay couple that appears on several ads --the photos are great and they can be enjoyed independently of any book. That they came on the cover of Every Man for Himself only gives you another good reason to buy the book. The cover aside, there is enough good reading in Every Man for Himself to keep you entertained on the beach, the bus, or even at home. There is usually one good gay comedy out each year, and Every Man for Himself seems to fill the quote for 1999. I recommend it to every gay man who appreciates "love, romance and finding Mr. Right". |
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