Rating: 
Summary: surprising, witty, and wise
Review: I hope that Brian Malloy's wonderful book will not be pigeon-holed as simply a 'gay' novel. It is so much more than that. This loving little gem joins the select few in this genre that I will read and re-read. I read it twice, bought a second copy (having lent my first to a friend) and read it again!The basic story is simple: Kevin is a popular, good-looking high-school senior who is in love with his friend Jon. He has no idea how to express his feelings so he has an active fantasy life. In this parallel life, Jon visits him in his room and they share moments of great intimacy and passion. He is troubled by his father, his fake girlfriend, and his mother's death. What distinguishes Mr Malloy's writing is the definition of his characters and the humor with which he portrays them, along with the gritty and real situations. The writing is elevated further by the counterpoint of Kevin's simultaneous inner dialogue which accompanies the outer. It is so well done that, even after multiple readings, the humor still comes as a surprise. Sometimes the words of young men can sound stilted in novels written by adults, but Mr Malloy speaks with a voice that is both genuine and rings true for an intelligent 18 year old. In fact, all his characters are multi-faceted and real. Thank you, Mr Malloy, for your heart-wrenching portrait of a wonderful, troubled, and angry young man at a cross-road in his life. Your very human and thoughtful novel raises the 'coming out' or 'coming of age' novel from good story to literature.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!! One of the funniest books I've read in years
Review: This book is perfect, literally perfect. It's funny, it's smart, it's touching, it's sad, it's heartwrenching, and beautiful. And it has some of the best one liners of anything I've ever read. Kevin, the protagonist, is a 17 year old boy/man who just happens to be gay. And that's one of the things I love about how Malloy tells Kevin's story. I've read enough so-called 'gay fiction' where the fact that the character is gay overshadows the book and the story itself becomes incidental to the characters gayness. Malloy's book is about family and life and growing up, with the fact that Kevin is gay as simply a fact of life. Malloy has also written one of the funniest scenes in a book I have ever read. Kevin is picked up at his crazy aunt's house by his father's mistress and the mistress' niece. What follows had me laughing so hard I was gasping for breath. Please, please, please buy this book. I promise you will not regret it. Malloy reminds me of Richard Russo with an even sharper sense of humour. And Brian, please tell me there will be a sequel to this book. You can count on me lining up for the hardback!!
Rating:
Summary: A fearless book filled with fear
Review: The characters in this book were so real I felt I knew them more intimately than they knew themselves. I can't wait to see more by this author. He took a powerful hold of my imagination, and days after finishing the book, he still has it. I would recommend it to anyone, gay, straight, or any combination thereof.
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