Where The Boys Are

4 1/2 stars Excellent read.


After I got over my qualms about reading a whole book in present perfect tense (yeah, ironic, since I'm writing in that form ...), I discovered a story full of fascinating characters who are just trying to live their lives to the fullest and get along with each other.

We have three narrators to follow, Jeff, Henry and Lloyd, and as their stories unfold and interweave with each other, they present the reader with a diverse view of the world in which they live. For Jeff and Henry, it's the gay dance circuit they participate in, going from city to city to party, dance and get high, though for each of them the circuit represents something different.

Jeff is avoiding confronting the pain of reality in which one of show more his family, Jarvit, has died of AIDS and losing his long-term boyfriend in the process. He feels guilty for not having been at Jarvit's side when he died, and refuses to talk about him except in clips and phrases that do the man little justice. By the same token, he feel estranged from Lloyd, with whom he's happiest, yet they've drifted as far apart as two people can, with different expectations and dreams, looking for a way to connect but not quite getting there.

Henry is feeling more and more disillusioned, not only about his day job as a CPA, but also the circuit scene. The more he participates, the more disconnected he feels. He's ready for something more permanent, more settled and steady. When a man he meets on the dance floor (Shane) offers to pay him money to spend the night, Henry refuses, but soon after starts exploring the possibilities of being a hustler, not only for the added income but for the shear novelty of the idea. But after one really bad incident with a disgusting client, Henry begins rethinking his strategy and wonders if it's really worth his dignity to sell his body for money.

As for Lloyd, Jeff's estranged boyfriend, doesn't like the circuit and avoids getting involved in it as much as possible. For him it is a place of drug and alcohol abuse, where men are so disparate to disengage, that they're willing to do stupid things just to have fun. Instead, he snags himself a business partner whose self-esteem and self-image is severely damaged. Though it seems a dream come true when he and Eva buy a bed and breakfast together, it quickly becomes obvious that Eva wants something more from Lloyd than he's willing or able to give. To add to the situation, Lloyd is also dealing with his own grief over Jarvit's death and not being able to speak to Jeff about it, he's unaware of his own behavior with Eva, both enabling and exacerbating the situation.

How each of these men deal with their problems and each other and find themselves in a new place in time for the new year is a journey well worth reading. Along the way we meet a man, who, as a teenager, committed a hate crime that sent him to prison and forced him to take a good, long look at himself and change his life, several men who have less than perfect bodies, but better than average attitudes, and a chance to look into the world of the circuit where every one lives in a fantasy world outside of their everyday, mundane lives. show less

Nachdem ich zuerst noch einmal den ersten Roman "The Men from the Boys" gelesen hatte, erkannte ich viele Themenstränge zurück. Der große Unterschied liegt darin, dass der Mentor Javitz inzwischen gestorben ist und die beiden Freunde Jeff und Lloyd nach wie vor ihre Bezug nicht gestalten können. Also stürzen sich beide auf neue Abenteuer. Auch der neue gute Freund Henry sucht nach einem Ziel und einem Weg im Leben. Dabei kommt es natürlich zu viel Begegnungen, guten Gesprächen, Sex, Abenteuern und noch viel mehr. Der Schluss ist dann etwas abrupt, aber das recht rosige Happy End passt natürlich wunderbar zu uns rosa Lesern, auch wenn es nicht ganz glaubwürdig ist.... Warum ist auf einmal so viel klar, wenn es vorher nur show more Unsicherkeit und Fragezeichen gab? show less