Ken Harvey’s collection of stories was probably written over a long period of time. But if not, it would have come from a rather ambitious-looking outline. One can imagine a futuristic blue-ribbon commission charged to educate the masses about the problems facing the common gay person, and coming up with this book as their final report. Not since Billy’s Boy have I seen so many gay issues addressed. Some are run-of-the-mill, and some are rather bizarre.
Skeptical? Allow me to sample: Ageism, AIDS, childhood crushes and the wild jealousy of heartbreak, transgender issues, sexual obsession, the anguish of losing your father because he’s not out of the closet and is uncomfortable with your openness, cold feet at the commitment ceremony resulting in the wedding being held in a jacuzzi so that the minister can be rushed back to the hospital from where he was stolen. Okay, I admit, not all the issues handled here are meant to be taken seriously.
Indeed, on more than one occasion one catches a glimpse of the David Sedaris dysfunctional family formula at work here. This, when used by a gifted writer (like Sedaris), can be quite funny. Here, Harvey doesn’t feel quite as comfortable with it, and the moments seem forced and untrue, like those awful commercials where the kids talk down to the goofy parents. Hence, this is not a laugh-out-loud book, and that is a shame.
Setting is not Harvey’s strong suit either. Too often, stories dwell on details that are so banal that the reader pauses to remember them, thinking that somehow, they will be important in the future. By the end of the story, the detail turned out to be a bit of fluff designed perhaps to enhance the scenery, an unfortunate and difficult habit to break of budding writers who subconsciously believe that the reader is having trouble with the mental imagery.
Also troubling for Harvey are his endings. On some stories, the ending comes quite suddenly, before a sense of completion has been achieved. Did he have a word limit?
With all that said, I don’t have sour grapes for this book. In fact, I like this book in two significant ways. First, the stories read like scripts for an elementary school play. The dialog and scenes were easy to follow, making this a fast read. Young readers just starting to explore their new gay world should find something in here that feels at home to them.
Second, and already mentioned, I think that this collection was written over a long period of time. Not all the stories are plagued with my nitpicks. One particularly mature piece is “Mariposa,” covering the “trial period” of a transgendered boy-to-girl who’s intending to have the operation. It’s a relevant story written with compassion, little superfluous material, and a fine ending. It looks at the subject from various angles. I suspect either that this is the most recent story written, or that this subject tugs near to Harvey’s heart.
Overall, this is a cornucopia of gay topics, a primer for all but tutorial for none, a little dramatic, a little comedic, and in the end, not too bad.