"Thai Angel" David Puterbaugh
What a great way to start an anthology! Somewhere in the
first scene I realized how little description I was reading and that it was
almost entirely dialogue. My background is in theater and reading this story
reminded me more of a script than literature - which in no way is a criticism.
Attempting to develop character and conflict almost exclusively through
dialogue is not an easy task and any author who can pull it off is very gifted.
David Puterbaugh is one of these guys.
His characters were a blast to read, especially Kama’s
mother, with her cantankerous personality. She wasn't the only one though. Kama
struggling to make a go of his family's restaurant while hiding his sexual
identity from his Thai mother, his wannabe actress sister who only wants what's
best for him, his potential love interest, and his eventual love interest –
they were all so clearly drawn through the dialogue that extensive description
wasn't necessary. I enjoyed reading about these folks so much, I only wish it
could have gone on longer.
“Love Taps” Mark G.
Harris
Okay, I’m embarrassed to admit that the passive aggressive
nature of this couple’s relationship completely appealed to me and the evil
tricks they played on one another had me laughing out loud over and over again.
It’s like Edward Albee had Martha and George give birth to a pretend dog
instead of a pretend son. Genius.
Although a little confused at first, I got into the groove
of the narrative quickly and, as I’m writing this, I’m still laughing as I
recall pizza boxes attached to walls and late-night prank calls. The
mischievousness, the paranoia, the dead-on shorthand dialogue of lovers who’d
been together for years, the freakin’ jealousy over a non-existent dog – all of
it, I am ashamed to say, I could appreciate and relate to. I loved this thing.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I actually do have a flesh-and-blood dog at
home by the name of Henry.
“Matchmaker” Shawn Anniston
The main character in the next piece doesn’t believe in
romance. Burned at his high school prom by an Eddie Vedder look-alike, he’s
given up on love and adopted a very cynical attitude toward romance. No one has
a prayer of breaking through the walls he’s built up over the last decade…or do
they?
This was a lot of fun. The characters were lively and full
of love for the pessimistic narrator, which made his snarkiness easier to
digest. There were times I wanted to bop him across the head for his
self-centeredness, but his friends had a gentle way of nudging him back to a
more reasoned mindset that made him endearing rather than annoying. I was
really impressed with the fact that Anniston didn’t need to delve into
paragraphs of internal monologue to spell out his character’s arc. He let his
dialogue do the work for him and it paid off in a delightful way.
“A View” Brandon M. Long
My partner and I have been together for over fifteen years now,
and during that time we’ve been asked more than once how we met. Our story
includes a small-town grocery store, a credit card, and a bag of dinner rolls.
When I tell the story, I usually make the comment that my partner was nothing I
was looking for but everything that makes me happy. The two men in the next
story have much the same experience.
Both Chris and Will have expectations of their ideal
man. Whether those criteria actually
embody what they’re looking for or are only shields they use to keep others
from hurting them is the question at the heart of this tender, quiet story
about ours fears and the courage it takes to overcome them. Long’s “A View”
left me mindful of the one I wasn’t looking for, but who can’t help making me
happy.
“Gratitude” Felice Picano
This is an interesting take on the theme of love and
romance. An author, who has found public acclaim later in his career, makes a
split second decision to save the life of a construction worker. The fact the
construction worker is a glorious specimen of manhood doesn’t hurt. The fact
the construction worker has a wife and toddler and a large extended family only
sweetens the deal as the author discovers a new type of love and affection.
Picano’s beautiful prose swept across each page with confidence
and verve. I was so captivated by it that it took me some time to question the
deceptions the author had perpetrated in order to be embraced by this blue
collar family, as well as what he was willing to settle for in lieu of a more
traditional idea of love. Then I realized being a ‘fool for love’ included facets
I’d not originally considered. That’s the beauty of an anthology that's this
well written and varied.
“Happy Hour at Café Jones” Rob Byrnes
Brian’s a bit of a realist (read cynic) who doesn’t believe
in modern romance and finding ‘the one’ online. But he gives it a go Café
Jones. Will he find true love or will his suspicions about on-line dating be
confirmed? I thought I saw the twist in this one coming a long way off, but to
Byrnes credit he didn’t take the easy way out. Instead, he chose a different
route that was much more satisfying, not only because it wasn’t expected but
because it helped reveal a depth to Brian I hadn’t expected. Nicely done.
“Trunk” Trevor Healey
The next story takes place in one of my favorite cities.
I’ve only been to New Orleans once but, to me, it felt like coming home, and
years later I still miss its vitality and hospitality. I haven’t had the
opportunity to return since Katrina devastated the area but I hope to soon.
The main character in Trunk rips into New Orleans, spreading
his own personal form of devastation. A refugee from the LA scene, he comes to
town for the recovery – both the city’s and his own. He makes an effort of it, but old habits die
hard and soon enough he finds himself down a familiar path with drugs and sex, only
this time with a southern minister who wants to save his soul and a voodoo man/fortune
teller (l kept envisioning Papa Legba from American Horror Story: Coven here),
who might have the key to his future. Fast paced and a bit raunchy, I wondered
if Tarantino wasn’t going to shout “that’s a wrap” when I got to the end. Like
one of his films it wasn’t so much about where we landed but how we got there
that made this story fun to read.
“De Anima” Joel Derfner
To say that Noah was a bit disappointed by his boyfriend’s
decision to attend a reparative therapy conference would be an understatement.
To say his response to the decision was slightly neurotic would be an
understatement of epic proportions. From the first sentence this story had me with
its breezy, bitchy tone. Plus I got an anatomy lesson to boot!
While Derfner masked it as a light read, what really struck
me was his deft portrayal of Noah’s boyfriend as he tried to understand how his
faith and sexuality could coexist. Though it played like ambient music at a
party, his struggle gave a nuanced edge to the story and ultimately more weight
to Noah’s final decision. I also enjoyed the TV-watching, home-cooked meals,
and (while I don’t knit) the knitting, which was more familiar to me than the
clubbing and party boys so often reflected in gay fiction these days.
“Like No One’s Watching” Josh Hemlin
THERE ARE GIANTS IN THE SKY!!!! THERE ARE BIG, TALL,
TERRIBLE GIANTS IN THE SKY!!!!
Okay, now that I've got that out of my system.
This was a fun one. Set among the chaos and excitement of a
high school production of Sondheim's Into the Woods, it explores the
insecurities so many of us felt with our first love as two teenage boys set off
into a woods of their own making to discover who they truly are. Sweetly told,
Hemlin gives us a memorable taste of what it was like to be young, gay, and in
love.
“At the End of the Leash” Jeffrey Ricker
As the owner of two large breed dogs, how could I not love
the next story about a dog walker who finds the chance for love among poop bags
and dog collars? This one also spoke to the voyeur in me, who would love to go
poking through someone's house when they’re not at home. Not to steal anything,
just to snoop. To understand them better, to discover who they are on their
most intimate levels, to snatch a glimpse at the heart inside a person. Yep, I
can totally relate to the dog walker at the heart of this light-hearted romp.
I relate to his slightly quirky personality and his personal
quest for vindication. I can relate to the cross he must bear in the form of
his employer's little girl (who I swear is going to grow up to be a dominatrix
one day). But most of all I can relate to his love for a good man who owns a
good dog. They're the best, aren't they?
“Two Tales” Paul Lisicky
Lisicky gives us two short fairy tales, two splashes of
poetry. Bears trolling the woods and hermits sitting on park benches. Or am I
mixing up two stories here? They felt like two paintings beautifully rendered,
two seemingly disparate pieces beautifully linked. Too, too good.
“Heart” ‘Nathan Burgoine
‘Nathan isn’t the only author in this anthology with whom I’ve had the incredible honor to
share a table of contents, but I feel a special kinship with his stories as they
more often than not cross the line into the supernatural, the area where I, as
a reader, feel most at home. 'Nathan does it in such an interesting way,
though. Not needing to toss a witch from a high rise window nor slam some sword
into a sorcerer's chest, he finds the magic in subtle ways, in the gentle twist
of reality. And he does a damn good job of it too.
This was 'Nathan's first published piece, but you wouldn't
know it as he explores the lengths we'll go to in order to save the one we
love. It's confident and crisp and powerfully told. I'm not going to say
anything more about this other than: read it; it's worth it. But get ready: ‘Nathan’s
gonna bitch slap you across the face with a box of tissue. You've been warned.
“Party Planning” Rob Williams
Williams gives us the romance most gay
men can relate to. Not the one with the older boy, nor the straight one, not
the first love, nor the one that broke our hearts. Nope, he gives us the love
story we never quite escape - the one with our mothers.
Cleverly told from the young man's point of view, it's the
mother that really shines in this tale. And while he's making that awkward
first step toward his independence and budding sexuality, he's leaving his
mother behind. Or is she pushing him away? Ultimately, it doesn't matter. What
does is the shift in their relationship as both discover things will never be
the same again.
“Two Kinds of Rapture” Andrew Holleran
It's always a thrill for me to read something set in an
environment with which I'm familiar, where I can recognize the street corners
and clearly see the landmarks to get my bearings. There's something reassuring
about knowing I've walked the same streets the character is walking. Holleran's
story had that for me.
Set between DC's more established, staid Dupont Circle and
the younger, more vital Logan Circle neighborhoods, it felt as if I was walking
with this group of men as they headed to the home of a young gay couple. And
while I've not yet reached the age of these four gentlemen, their personal
journeys seemed familiar to me somehow. Holleran provided wonderful insight
into their perspectives on rapture, the moment when you realize you’re crossing
that line from young and vital to established and staid, and our individual
search for love. Beautifully told.
“Everyone Says I’ll Forget in Time” Greg Herren
I’m not sure where to start with this one. Within a few
sentences I felt my heart constrict and my eyes begin to burn at the exquisite
pain it evoked. Gorgeously human, quietly devastating, somberly hopeful, it
rang true on so many levels, and again I’m amazed at how this book’s theme
revealed itself to me time and again. Take my word for it, this one's worth the
price of admission all on its own.
“Angels, What You Must Hear on High” John H. Roush
And lawdy, lawdy, what they must hear! All the hilarious,
painful, sleazy, lovely bits; the best and the worst of the human race. Roush
gives it all to us in the anthology’s final story, chronicling an entire life
in just a few pages. He seems to wrap up the entire anthology and its varied
perspectives in this brief yet touching piece. Like the curtain call at a
musical, it gives us our favorite themes and lets us relive the memorable
moments one more time before the final bow. A great ending to a great
anthology.
