Rating: 
Summary: A NOVEL GRACED WITH THE LANGUAGE OF POETRY
Review: In THROUGH IT CAME BRIGHT COLORS Trebor Healey creates believable, sympathetic characters (people any of us might meet in the urban landscape), then twists the plot elements just right
to keep the reader a bit off-balance, while handily avoiding the "gay novel" ghetto with a strong narrative thread involving the protagonist's brother's cancer and its effect on his family. Peter (the brother) and the parents may be less fully fleshed out than protagonist Neill and his love interest Vince, but that is how it should be. It is ultimately Neill's story - and a good one.
A favorite scene for me has Neill looking at SF and seeing the Sierra Nevada mountains. Healey leads us to the similarities between the two landscapes and, in doing so, highlights the vast difference. I love being in the Sierras so the section where Neill takes Vince up there was particularly enjoyable for me - and the unexpected direction it took was most effective. In the mid-70's I lived in a residence hotel in San Francisco and the experience was much as Healey describes life in Vince's home, the Baldwin Arms. Thus I find Healey's writing to be authentic when set against the standard of my own experience.
But it is Healey's use of language which sets this novel apart. His is clearly a poet's language and brings much pleasure simply on its own. Certain sections and individual lines jumped out at me and have lingered long after I put the book down. To cite just a few examples (without ruining any plot elements):
On page 53 he writes "Love was a much more physical thing than I'd ever understood it to be. It lived where his fingers touched mine; it's what made the water bead up on his shoulders and roll off; it's what made his skin warm, glowing and soft. I'd always thought love was some feeling in the mind, but this was the physicality of love: the love of the body, so much simpler; so much more useful." He is referring, in that passage, not to a lover, but to his brother's cancer-wracked and mutilated body. The feeling that passage planted within me was unexpected and profound.
I wish I'd written "the long bulb-studded strands of kelp unanchored and ambushed by flies"(p.77). I have seen that image on the beach so many times but never found the way to such a clear and accurate description. And on p.135: "Her eyes were like thick, clear glass when I reached her, as if her tears
had set up permanent residence atop her irises, refusing to recede of fall." This line not only describes a physical appearance, but uses that physicality to get deep into the being of the mother in a way that a more direct attempt to describe what she was feeling could never have done.
These are only a few of the many fine individual passages which work together to make this wonderful book something to treasure. It is hard to believe that this is a "first novel." I am eagerly awaiting his next one and hope that his poetry, especially a series of rare and increasingly hard to find chapbooks, is soon made more widely available.
Rating: 
Summary: These colors are a little faded....
Review: Despite the inexplicably laudatory reviews here (many, evidently, from Healey's friends rather than from those in a position to review the book critically and honestly), this remains a minor work that suffers from lack of editing and, more egregiously, from a failure of vision. Though there are occasional flashes of talent, the book ultimately bogs down under the desire to lay claim to some sort of trendy, post-modern, Dennis Cooperesque street cred that utterly falsifies the plot. Some have apparently understood this as a YA novel, and that may be about right. True to that genre, it is a "problem" novel, but it is not yet the work of a mature writer of fiction.
Neill's "love" interest (Vince) is a self-absorbed, sociopathic drug addict, and the "drama" of the book largely revolves around the question of whether Neill's "relationship" with Vince will endure despite Vince's cruelty, his inability to form human connections, and his refusal to get a job. This is intended to make him, I suppose, all counter-cultural and cool, but it really just makes him pathetic. The reader is expected to have sympathy for Neill's whinging over how *hard* it is to have a meaningful relationship with a kleptomaniac drug addict, but Neill is the only one who is surprised when his hopeless, pointless obsession with Vince ends as it must. (You might think this was a spoiler, but the denouement of this extended trick session is so obvious that only someone who has never read a novel before would fail to anticipate the ending from about a mile off.) Neill's only real connection to Vince, meanwhile, is sexual fetishism (and descriptions of Vince's "Sicilian armpit hair" can't be read without wincing). That would be superficial enough to mar the effort. Given the current state of queer fiction, however, it is also beyond trite. Throughout the book, Neill is never more than a tourist in the suffering of others -- which the reader is apparently meant to experience as his deeply poetic nature. More than 200 pages of soullessness, however, become tedious in the extreme.
The secondary characters are cardboard and malformed, particularly Neill's parents, who repeat identical phrases and have identical responses to every event in the book. Healey needs the character of Neill's father to carry off a lame little coming-out drama (speaking of scenes you've read eight thousand times); otherwise, their presence is all but useless.
Neill's brother, suffering from cancer and forced to undergo mutilating surgeries, is the one truly interesting character in the book because he, at least, has the chance to experience something important and to move through it into a new life. Unfortunately, Healey makes him as emotionally constipated as the other characters, such that he can barely express what he is experiencing. The final, movie-of-the week chapter resolves nothing (other than the need to end the book), and can be considered "moving" only by people who find AT&T commercials moving. It's poetic, but so are Hallmark cards.
Healey may write better books in the future, but I hope he does not believe his own hype, including the press-releases here. Having a modest effort hailed as though it were the complete works of Shakespeare is only going to hurt his writing, not help it.
Rating:
Summary: Complex characters, Gripping Narrative
Review: For those of you, like me, who are sick and tired of the cookie-cutter characters present in many gay coming-out first novels, "Through It Came Bright Colors" is a welcome breath of fresh air. The characters are unlike any others I've experienced in recent gay literature. They're human in every sense of the word: real, complex, imperfect, and, at times, unlikeable. They've stayed with me well after I've put the book down, which is the highest compliment I can give a writer. The other posters here have nicely summarized the novel, but let me just add that "Through It Came Bright Colors" is ultimately about going into the wilderness (both literally and figuratively) to find one's true self. That wilderness (be it cancer, a run-down boarding house, or a hike in the mountains)transforms each of the characters, as they journey to discover the truth about themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: Frankly I think this book is overrated. The writing is good but often falls into the trap of being pretentious and substanceless. The character development begins good, too but ends rather flat, especially with Vince: his character is nothing but "the weirdo" at the ending. The plot becomes repetitive, since it just focuses on the destructive adventures with Vince or the episodes at the hospital without any signs of the transformation the protagonist undergoes. And that's the main flaw of the book imho: the stereotypes about gay man it indirectly reproduces. The main character isnt obviously stereotypical except for that really weird childhood episode at the beach where he has some kind of hysterical breakdown as a small boy and fancies himself to be some long-dead female (!) Hollywood star. That was definitely annoying because it could have been lifted from some dumb soap opera or some silly old psychology textbook. He doesn't like school sports and somehow believes that this has got to do with his being gay - I don't know about the American school sports but I doubt that all straight boys automatically enjoy school sports. The main character also vividly remembers an episode involving a stereotypical effeminate gay man which he (the protagonist) thought of (and still thinks of) as somehow being like himself.
It was my impression that the main character in fact just suffered from his family situation (which had no connection to his sexuality) and low self-esteem and/or a wrong self-concept ("different" from other men and so on) based on misconceptions of his sexuality.
His father makes a rather odd remark, saying he always felt that his son was somehow "different", although in one of the main characters memories he says that he was in fact very much like his father. The main character also never comes to terms with other stereotypical conceptions of gay men (or his personality problems in general): At the beginning of the books he immediately thinks Vince is gay, too, since "queers recognize each other". He also talks about male nurses having "gay glints" in their eyes.
Towards the end of the book no change can in the main character's self-concept can be noticed which made we wonder what the point of the whole novel was. My impression is that this is just another one of those "gay novels" written by someone having general problems or problems with his sexuality and trying to sell them as "typically gay". Besides, if you made the mistake and read the short story "A window in the wall" by the same author you know all about this book, anyway. It's just a longer and badly fleshed-out version of this story. Don't waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: rough and sexy and pure
Review: From the first sentence, I felt pulled in. Trebor Healey starts his book with a poetic metaphor, but rather than being flowery and sentimental, it's a hard-hitting, earthy, and, yes, romantic opening that made this reader feel that he was in extremely capable hands.The end of that chapter is as beautiful and perfect as a poem. It hit me the way a poem does, like a revelation, as if the page caught fire and blew a veil off my eyes, and then burned a layer of insulation from around my heart. This book makes me remember when I first came to San Francisco, when I was young and living on Skid Row. My experience was nothing like the experiences of Vince, or Neill, or Peter, but I believe those characters, and I like them. Hell, I love 'em, to tell the truth. They got into my heart in about two minutes flat and are staying there quite comfortably. It's so easy to love all the people in 'Through It Came Bright Colors,' because the writing comes from such a deep place. Reading this book, I sigh, and ache, and love, and remember, and sigh again. But oh Lord, the last chapter. The whole book cast a beatiful spell on me, all rough and sexy and pure, but that last chapter spun the whole thing into orbit. Brilliant and holy: my mouth was on the floor reading it, and my heart felt as if an ancient knot was being unfolded and loosened at last.
A few days ago, I wanted to start rereading it, having forgotten I had already given it to my best friend!
Rating:
Summary: Truly a poet's prose
Review: I believe that Trebor Healey is an established poet, and it's clear that every word counts in his prose style! Yes, there were times when I re-read a passage just to enjoy Mr. Healey's mastery of the language. And yet, at other times , I could get completely lost in this compelling story.
I am recommending "Through It Came Bright Colors" to readers of all stripes, surely beyond the limitations of any type of genre-marketing. Both the story and the characters have universal appeal, and lovers of language may be ecstatic throughout. I am looking forward to much more from Trebor Healey, and I am sure that this is just the first of many more titles to come.
Rating:
Summary: Trebor is an artist!
Review: I finished the book feeling great about triumph over whatever is difficult in life. This is an inspiring story; granted the truth rings throughout but what the author has put on paper can be appreciated by every kind of reader as each of us can take a nugget from this book and apply it to their own circumstances.
It really makes one reflect on love and its many manifestations. I was moved by the portrayal of Neill and Peters relationship as I know it is true. I think this book can and should be appreciated by as many people as possible; it has a great message and an uplifting title. Excellent Read! Karen Holmes
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, poignant and disturbing at times.
Review: No, Ms Denwell, I'm not a "friend" of the author. Rather, an avid reader who "can" appreciate a beautifully written novel when presented with one. I found the situation very true to life with multifaceted characters with which a reader can really get involved. I think I would easily recommend this book to my gay AND straight friends for a real glimpse into a world that perhaps they've never encountered. The character of Vince represents a modern day "Peter Pan" - abandoned, unloved and unable to love in turn. One of the lost boys that unfortunately populate many of our big city streets. They come into our lives and as quickly disappear, leaving us to wonder whatever became of them, but richer for having known them. I'm eagerly awaiting Mr. Healey's next book.
Rating:
Summary: 'Cuz it's all about the writing...
Review: So, I finally read this book, after hearing about it for a year, and hearing about it winning an award and all...and it was a wild experience for me. I had a brother who went through three rounds of chemo before having a bone marrow transplant. Healey captures the experience of watching someone you love face death in a way I've never read before. Juxtaposing this with the rundown of a young man's first doomed love is an interesting and brave choice, and brings insights into both parallel stories. The conclusion is a piece of heart-rending imagery that left me hollowed and quiet.
You get what you get out of a good read because of what you bring to it. If you bring a willingness to engage, chances are a good book will engage you. If you bring a determination to be above it all, chances are you will miss the point. Too bad for you if you do, but whats the point of sharing your empty glass?
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book (that simple)
Review: The author is a truly gifted writer. Everyone I have shared Colors with has not been able to put it down, holding me accountable for wreaking havoc with their work, dinner plans and habitual sex lives. (--snip follows from my review in Ashé Journal--) Mr. Healey, known in queer literary circles, for his inspired poetry and short fiction which have appeared in several well-received collections including Queer Dharma and The Best Gay Erotica 2003, Healey stands apart from the crop of modern gay writers. The themes and characters he weaves into his texts are not the pablum that mark so much of modern gay fiction without going to the extreme of Dennis Cooper or Tim Barrus. His characters have an authenticity and realness that have more in common with Jean Genet than Andrew Holleran.
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