Rating: 
Summary: Not just a genre collection
Review: This is a fine book; it deserves to reach beyond the "gay literature" genre, to tap a wide, general audience. The stories are full of pain, adolescent yearning, surprises, what-ifs, and--in one case--the best description of a sudden fear of heights that I've ever read. You don't have to be gay to understand, empathize and enjoy it. You don't even have to be Irish, Catholic, from South Boston, or any combination of the three--although that might make the experience even more poignant. This is human fiction, well-written, vivid, relevant to anybody who's ever been young, who has felt--rightly or wrongly--like an outsider, who has stared into the abyss that must be crossed to change his or her life...and hesitated. These stories are full of terrific characters--from a young man with a horrific secret that makes him quite literally (and convincingly) crazy, to a little girl who creates a uniquely Catholic method for protecting those she loves. There's even a fairy tale. Hayes breathes life into his "imaginary friends"; he made me believe in them so completely--and worry about them so much--that I had a terrible time putting the damned book down. Susan O'Neill, author: Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Viet Nam.
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