I actually wrote this on Friday, May 8, intending to post it last weekend, but then the incomparable Elisa Rolle posted her review of the book and I didn’t want to clutter Mick’s inbox with review announcements. So, a week late, here it is:
Times Queer [Amazon] was an uncomfortable read, but I think that is actually one of the book’s strengths. If it were a light, easy read, it wouldn’t feel so honest. The main character, Ricky, is very much a child of his time and circumstances, and the book follows him through his tangled exploration of sexuality.
From a childhood experience on a subway car to his twisted long-term relationship with Red, a woman he can’t decide if he loves or hates, Ricky’s sexual experiences change him, and shape him into the sexually confused young man he becomes. Ricky doesn’t know: is he gay? is he straight? The reader doesn’t know either. It’s impossible to tell, because of the way his experiences have shaped him, and that honesty is something I really appreciated in this book.
The only true complaint I have is that the afterword rehashes every pivotal moment. It’s a powerful story, but the afterword spoiled the gut-level high I had been feeling after reading. It felt as though the person who wrote the afterword didn’t trust me, as a reader, to come to my own understanding of the story.
Regardless, the story itself is excellent, very much about a specific time and place. I wouldn’t recomment it to someone looking for a romance, or a light, easy read, but if you’re in the mood for something tangled and realistic, this might just be the book for you.
diannefox
by Alan Chin, on 05.14.09 @ 10:09 am
Sounds like the kind of book I love: real, honest, main character full of inner conflict. Thanks for this thoughtful review Dianne. When I read the book, I’ll be sure and skip the afterword.
alan chin
author, Island Song
by Dianne, on 05.14.09 @ 10:14 am
It’s a great book! Mick’s writing was powerful, and the story doesn’t pull any punches.
It could be that I’m just picky about wanting the book to trust me as a reader, but the afterword just didn’t work for me.
by Sally Miller, on 05.14.09 @ 12:35 pm
I am the author of the afterword, written before anyone else had ever read Times Queer besides me. Having a background in psych with training and experience as a sex therapist/counselor, I felt the need to explain things to those who might not get it — I had no idea such insightful people would read it! You might enjoy the ebook, also, which has photos to illustrate the various places in the story (which I was not familiar with), and the ebook does not have the afterword.
by Dianne, on 05.14.09 @ 12:56 pm
As I mentioned in response to Alan, above, I do think that I’m just picky about needing books to trust that I’ll understand. My degrees in literature and education might have made me a bit more touchy about that sort of thing than I might otherwise be.
Given the subject matter of the book, I can see why you might want to make sure that a reader wouldn’t take things the wrong way. I think I just shouldn’t have read past the end of the story itself, because I already had that understanding — and such a strong response to the author’s powerful, no-holds-barred writing.