The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

Acting Up
By John Inman
Dreamspinner Press, 2016
Cover by Reese Dante
Four stars

I liked this a lot, for its humor, its characters, and the setting in San Diego. It is an archetype of a romance novel, and yet quirky enough to be refreshing and emotionally really appealing.

Malcolm Fox is kind of a jerk. Cute, petit, rather promiscuous, he is a struggling actor who shares a flat with another struggling actor, Beth Williams. Although Malcolm seems a little heartless, he and Beth are good friends, which gives one hope. Beth is solid. Caring and uncomplaining, she and Malcolm go through the routines of pointless auditions and tap-dance lessons, hoping for their big break.

Instead, they get a big disruption in their frustrating, cramped lives: Cory Williams. Cory is Beth’s big Missouri farm boy of a brother, and he comes with a pit-bull named Rosemary and an albino boa constrictor named Leonard. Seems like he and Malcolm will be roomies. And, amazingly, Malcolm finds himself adapting quickly to both the boy and the pit-bull. The snake, well that’s something else.

It all seems so obvious that one wonders why it works so well. Cory is beautiful and butch. Malcolm has never been in love – never felt what it’s like to care about someone else passionately. Rosemary is one of the cutest dogs I’ve ever met, and I’ve met pit-bulls like her, who look fierce but are actually complete kittens. Cute dogs and handsome men are a sure-fire formula for romance, no?

But Inman gets us there with great humor and surprisingly authentic emotion. This is a case of instant friendship becoming something more. Cory’s presumed straightness is never much of a smoke-screen. What is important is Malcolm’s usual sluttiness being set aside out of deference to his friendship with Beth. If one can accept that Malcolm, who will bed a married man just because he can, keeps his hands off Cory, then everything else makes sense, too. I bought it, and the reason I did is because Cory is portrayed wonderfully. He’s not just a big dumb handsome man; he’s a genuinely loving sweetheart with hidden depths and an innocent openness to the world around him. Cory’s complexity is at the core of Malcolm’s good behavior. If that makes any sense.

Plus, Malcolm’s mother is a crucial secondary character, and provides both humor and a vaguely psychic wisdom. As I said, Inman takes all of these stock characters and gives them personalities that make them real and interesting and lovable.

John Inman has written some darker, more complex stories than “Acting Out.” But he is also proof that the basic romance novel can offer both literary pleasure and emotional satisfaction in one well-crafted package.