Giovanni's Room

 Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (1956) 192 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Libby narrated by Matt Bomer. It included an Introduction by poet Kevin Young that provided a lot of context. In a not-quite chronological narrative we meet David, a white American, having a "gap year" in Paris. There are conventional expectations back home and he is engaged to a young woman, but she is spending time away from him in Spain. David has a passionate affair with Giovanni, an Italian working in a bar in Paris. The two young men become roommates, but through self-denial and homophobia, David cannot admit that he is gay. When his fiancé joins him some sexist views come to light and a murder adds tension to the situation. The mysteries of the human heart are brilliantly explored by Baldwin.  

The Boyfriend Subscription

The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore (2024) 288 pages

Two gay men's viewpoints alternate in this story: Cole has built up a company in LA that provides a positive spin for sex workers. Teddy is known for being the "Plant Daddy," having built up a his business selling plants online and later in a brick and mortar store in New York. At least until his divorce, when his ex-husband's rich family sues him and takes away the building his shop is located in, alleging that he cooked his financial records. Teddy is broke and planning to move back to Louisiana in a few days, when his best friend/roommate Kit takes him out for a drink and Teddy meets Cole, who is in New York for his sister's wedding. There is an instant connection between the two men, although Teddy's frayed Target clothing is no match for Cole's Armani suits.

The two men, while attracted, are also each nursing emotional wounds. Because Cole's sister worries about him being without a partner, Cole suggests a win-win situation: he will pay Teddy to be his partner and go with him to his sister's wedding. This includes a clothing allowance to fit the occasion. A strong Pretty Woman vibe is going on here, which includes a measure of conflict that I'm not exactly sure makes sense. And lots of sex. The best thing was these men (and their friends) demonstrate gay relationships‒whether as partners or friends‒in a perfectly likeable way.

Less Is Lost

Less Is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer (2022) 257 pages

Learning about Greer's newest book was like coming across a friend I had never expected to see again! Arthur Less's mentor and longtime former lover, Robert Brownburn has died. The twist is that although Brownburn seems to have given to Less the one bedroom bungalow in San Francisco that he and Less lived in, Less learns that he must pay for a decade's worth of back rent within a month, or he loses the bungalow forever. 

Thus starts off our quirky hero Less on a frenetic search for enough cash ‒ tasks which include bringing an author to an-out-town onstage event to interview him, being part of a prize committee, and traveling in the South with a troupe who has made a play out of one of Less's own books.

Meanwhile, Less's lover, Freddy, is in Maine, teaching (and later hibernating on an island), trying to make sense of his and Less's lives. We also learn more about Less's family history, his relationships with his mother, sister and mostly absentee father. And about other people named Arthur Less.

I recommend that one read the first book, Less, before reading this one, just to appreciate it all the more. Enjoyed this tremendously, and expect to reread soon, to pull out even more of the rich tidbits packaged inside so well.

Broken People

Broken People by Sam Lansky (2020) 297 pages

Sam is a gay man who has written a memoir about his early messed-up life, immersed in drugs and sex. Even in sobriety, he has continued to sabotage his relationships with other men. At a party, he overhears someone talking about a shaman who can do the equivalent of ten years of therapy in a single weekend. He and Buck, the host of the dinner party, go to meet Jacob, the shaman, to learn about his field of "transdimensional intercession." They decide that they're willing to give the process a try.

The book switches back and forth between Sam's past  relationships and the present, weekend-long session with the shaman. If the reader is firmly entrenched in the here and now, the mystical connections might be hard to swallow, but the factors that have caused Sam's brokenness are very believable.

Less

Less by Andrew Sean Greer (2017) 261 pages

As with anyone that I've just met, it takes a little while for Arthur Less, a 49-year-old white gay guy, a bit of a second-tier writer, to grow on me. He's having a midlife crisis partly because of his upcoming 50th birthday and partly because Freddy, his lover for the past nine years, is going to be married to another guy very soon. Less is invited to the wedding, but rather than just declining the invitation, he ends up accepting every other invitation he can find to take him away from home in San Francisco for many weeks: These invitations include teaching a class in Germany, going on a writing retreat in India, doing a series of tastings for a magazine article in Japan, etc., seven stops in total, all in order to save face and to distract himself.

The writing tone seems just a tad clinical at first, but as Less follows his travel itinerary, the understated humor of the very strange situations that he finds himself in grows progressively funnier. I especially enjoyed the translations of the German which Less speaks while he's in Berlin. (Arthur has been insisting he's fluent in German, but we find otherwise!)

The conversations that Less has with others are often thought-provoking meaning-of-life-and-love kind of philosophies which differ widely. One mystery: the narrator. Little crumbs thrown out from time to time show that the narrator personally knows Less. Who is it??

The Best Kind of People

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall, 430 pages

When a high school teacher is arrested, accused by four students of sexual misconduct on a class ski trip, his life and the lives of his family are turned completely upside down. The author transports the reader delicately into the evolving points of view of  his wife, adult son, and high school-aged daughter. We see how the crisis changes relationships within and outside the family. Like his family, I kept wondering whether to believe the man or his accusers. Whittall's novel, published in 2016, evokes the #MeToo movement that has lately resonated through our society.
  

Less

Less / Andrew Sean Greer, 263 pgs.

Arthur Less is on the run, sort of.  He is trying to escape the wedding of an ex so accepts EVERY invitation he receives to assure he will be out of the country on the wedding day.  This book recounts his travels, includes some background on Less himself and shows us an interesting, slightly sad-sack character.  Less is pretty awesome to me in the way that he isn't too self aware.  He spends a mint in Paris buying new clothes from a tailor thinking he is very French chic until he is identified as an American at a party with strangers.  At this point he realizes the tailor sold him what HE considered to be the quintessential American outfit.  I loved so many of the small moments in the book because Less thinks he is doing one thing but doesn't really have the knowledge to DO that thing and is quite stymied.  But in the end, he isn't too upset about it, he sort of just rolls with the punches.  There are so many tiny moments in this book that are perfectly rendered that it is an easy title to recommend.

The Commitment

The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family by Dan Savage  291 pp.

Dan Savage, author of the syndicated column "Savage Love", takes on gay marriage in this memoir from the days when only a couple states had that option. His mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend of ten years, Terry, doesn't want to marry because it is "acting like straight people" and would rather get tattoos showing their commitment. Their adopted son says that two men can't get married but he will come to a reception if there is cake. Various other family members have an assortment of ideas on the subject. The result is a ridiculously over priced reception (especially for ten years ago when this was written) to celebrate Dan & Terry's tenth anniversary. There will be cake (and arguments about cake) . . . and maybe a marriage.

The Great American Whatever

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle  278 pp,

Quinn Roberts is about to celebrate his 17th birthday but he's not expecting much. He is still dealing with the death of his sister Annabeth in a car accident for which he feels responsible. Quinn is an aspiring film writer and his sister was the director of the short films they made. Since that time Quinn has been reclusive and unable to indulge in his passion for writing, although he continually writes scripts in his head. His best friend Geoff decides it's time for him to reenter the world and takes him to a party. It is there that the not-yet-out Quinn meets his first romance in a handsome college student named Amir. The result is bittersweet and leads to revelations that Quinn would rather not know but point him toward forging a life without his sister.

Hide

Hide by Matthew Griffin  272 pp.

Wendell and Frank are an elderly gay couple. Wendell is a taxidermist who meets Frank when he returns to their small town after the end of World War II. The story begins with Frank suffering a stroke while out tending his tomato plants. Through multiple flashbacks we learn the story of how Wendell and Frank first met and their illicit and, back then, illegal love affair. After the death of Frank's mother, he and Wendell and a series of dogs settle in a secluded house outside of town and live a very closeted life together. Frank works in a local factory and Wendell runs his taxidermy shop. Frank's stroke changes the dynamics of their decades old relationship as Frank fights the disabilities and depression he is left with. Wendell adopts a Bassett Hound mix named Daisy which helps to bring Frank back to life. They learn to adjust their lives with Daisy in tow. This book is touching, humorous, and is a realistic, well written, if heartbreaking story. In many ways it reminds me of the novels of Reynolds Price.  

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald  394 pp.

Sara arrives in the small town of Broken Wheel Iowa from Sweden with plans to visit her long time pen pal, Amy. Unfortunately, she arrives in time to learn her friend had died. The residents of the small dying town set Sara up in Amy's house for the duration of her stay. The connection between Amy and Sara was all about books and there are plenty of references to numerous titles in the story. Sara ends up helping the town by setting up a bookshop in the mostly shuttered town main street. Most of the contents for sale come from Amy's library. Besides the tale of how the book shop improved the lives of the town's residents, there is a love story angle. The townsfolk hatch a plan for Sara to marry and thus be able to stay in Broken Wheel after her tourist visa expires. Unbeknownst to them, Sara has already found love and their plot disrupts the natural order of things. Enter a suspicious immigration official and things get very complicated. There are side plots about the conservative, church lady, Caroline, and a much younger man, alcoholic George and his missing daughter, and the abrasive, outspoken Grace who runs the diner. The multiple references to specific books and the variety of characters make this book a winner.

Hold Me Closer

Hold Me Closer: the Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan  200 pp.

This is a companion to one of my favorite YA books, Will Grayson, Will Grayson. That novel was written by my two favorite YA authors, Levithan and John Green. In Will Grayson... the large, gay, football playing Tiny Cooper writes and directs an autobiographical musical play about his big gay life. Hold Me Closer is the script of that musical complete with song lyrics and some added commentary. The only thing I wish it had was the music to the songs. The play chronicles Tiny's life and mainly focuses on his search for a partner to love. One of the musical numbers is a parade of his ex-boyfriends telling the reason things didn't work out with each of them. An appearance by the ghost of Oscar Wilde who tries to council Tiny is an added bonus. There are some thoughtful lessons in this short book but Levithan doesn't beat you over the head with them. I especially liked Tiny's former babysitter telling him that you aren't less of a person if you are not one half of a couple. You don't have to read Will Grayson... before you read this but it will add more depth if you have.

American Savage

American Savage: insights, slights, and fights on faith, sex, love and politics by Dan Savage 301 pg.

This is a collection of essays by Savage about a variety of topics, mostly controversial topics if you are to look at the headlines.  But there are other reflections on his family, his faith, and his life in general that are very personal.  Savage is not one to shy away from an argument about topics he is passionate about.  Somehow that led him to host an activist against marriage rights at his home...for dinner followed by a debate.  I think the reaction of his husband to this crazy idea might be my favorite part of the book.  But I like a lot of parts of this book.  I have always admired Savage and his ability to use logic to make his points.  Hopefully logic is something that will be effective to some bystanders who are undecided or unsure of their beliefs.  Clearly it won't work on some.

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Are You My Mother?

Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel  290 pp.

Alison Bechdel won tons of awards for Fun Home, her graphic novel about her father. In this book, she tackles her relationship with her mother, her experiences with analysts, and the works of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. Bechdel's mother was an actress who stifled her career to raise her children while coping with a marriage to a gay man who ultimately committed suicide. The book mainly focuses on Bechdel herself and her conflicted feelings toward the emotionally distant mother who told her she was too old for kisses at age seven. After awhile Bechdel's internal conflicts get repetitive and tiresome. Disappointing.

Will Grayson, WIll Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan 310 pgs.

This book keeps popping up on many of the MO Book Challenge Blogs (see blogroll for our competition) and Karen and Jeff both recommended it.  Glad I finally got the hint and read this book about two teens with the shared name of Will Grayson.  The two Wills accidentally meet and share common love of Tiny Cooper.  One Will Grayson is his best friend, the other his boyfriend.  A cool story of relating, relationships, acceptance, and growing...not necessarily growing up.  Although these characters are teens, there is a lot to be learned here.

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