From the Bookshelf of Queereaders…

The Story of Teddy and Eddie

James Halat

Why we're reading this: Male lead character. Gay theme.
[close] Male lead character. Gay theme.

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Oct 14, 2015 Stephen rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-read-for-review, gay, z-read-in-2015

It seems that almost every gay author has a coming-out story and many get the opportunity to exorcise their demons by retelling them. Given the shared experience, many gay readers never seem to tire of reading them. Most of these stories have some common elements, but the best have their idiosyncrasies that make them unique and worthwhile reading.

This one was idiosyncratic to be sure, but initially a bit off-putting. The story was clearly being told in retrospect as it was set in the 60's & 70' It seems that almost every gay author has a coming-out story and many get the opportunity to exorcise their demons by retelling them. Given the shared experience, many gay readers never seem to tire of reading them. Most of these stories have some common elements, but the best have their idiosyncrasies that make them unique and worthwhile reading.

This one was idiosyncratic to be sure, but initially a bit off-putting. The story was clearly being told in retrospect as it was set in the 60's & 70's but the author used present tense almost exclusively in his narrative. The problem I have with present tense is that it doesn't allow for the perspective one generally has when recounting the past. Here it initially made the story harder to follow and the main character harder to identify with.

My difficulty adapting to the verb tense, (combined with him calling his parents by their first names) made it difficult to fully empathize or understand who the main character WAS. What four year old thinks in terms of "perhaps I borrow from a series of points on time's arrow and mix them together to form a composite past."

Then I thought that perhaps the author was being purposefully obtuse. Even the MC's best "gal pal" is named "Bobbie" with no suggestive pronouns in the initial few sentences.

Just as I was resolving that his main character was a bit like a world weary Stewie on The Family Guy, the author managed to confuse me further with some very poetic imagery. I loved the MC's initial experience with masturbation “The universe has an itch, and I have been called upon to scratch it” and his observation about the aftermath "molten pearls splash all over my chest and stomach." Also good was his describing his constant sexual arousal, “His dick is hard now, like mine, a divining rod in a land where water is everywhere.”

Even his initial lament, "I'm 20 years old, never been on a date, and living with a room-mate I have a minor crush on" resonated with me as well. I've been in that situation.

Overall, this was a satisfying read, and I found that as the book progressed, I liked the main character more than I initially thought I would. His relationship with his brother and his evolving relationship with the rest of the family are worthwhile and ultimately satisfying. I do tend to have a low tolerance for dreams in books and there are a few whoppers here. Particularly that "shady tuna dream" which is referenced several times. But all-told I would recommend this book if you're interested in a coming out story with heart.

I am curious about the author's other works but perhaps I'll wait until his addiction to present tense is more a thing of the past.

***Note: I received a free copy of this e-book in exchange for a fair and honest review ***
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Dec 29, 2019 Joseph-Daniel Peter Paul Abondius marked it as to-read

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