Ladymol's Review

Along with Boy Meets Boy, I would say this was a great coming of age story for any gay teen. The story has a totally authentic teen voice and is positive without glossing over the genuine concerns and problems of teens, gay or not.

Adam lives with his father who suffers from depression. The illness has pervaded Adam’s life, and although on the outside he’s tough and funny, underneath he’s more vulnerable than even he realises. Handsome, gay, about to graduate and face the world on his own terms, Adam’s life take a sudden unexpected turn when his father commits suicide.

The cop who investigates the death, Jeff, is every man's dream: tall, blond, gorgeous, kind, sweet, intelligent. Adam sees all this in one glimpse one night outside a 7-ll and is hooked. When Jeff turns out to be the investigating officer in his father’s case, things seem too good to be true.

The romance between Jeff, 38, and Adam, 18, is handled exquisitely sensitively. I know American views on such things are very different to ours here in the UK, but I can’t see how this would offend even the most puritanical of American readers. It’s too true to life to offend.

I liked this book enough to wish that there was a more adult version of it, if that were possible. I loved Jeff and Adam and wanted a lot more interaction between them, and less of the teens hanging around and “shooting the breeze” (God, have I just shown my age with that hackneyed phrase?). Having said that, what sex/kissing there is in this book is some of the hottest I’ve ever read. There’s just not enough for me!

This book would make a wonderful gift for any gay teen or young adult. It’s life affirming. It tells you that you can overcome anything if you have a little faith and hang in there. And, believe me, that’s actually quite rare for a gay novel!

I really hope there’s a sequel to this one as the book ends at the beginning of something very special. Jeff and Adam are great characters with a huge amount of story potential still in them. I suspect there might be one on the way because the other characters in the book (particularly Dart, Adam’s gay friend) have their own rich stories just unfolding too.

Very nice read with some great human insight. Oh, and totally hot kisses!

Cerisaye's Review

Angelito is an ordinary LA town where once there was a small miracle, when a housewife saw Jesus’ face in a tortilla.  Maybe in June 1999 another is about to happen…

If we have faith it doesn’t matter if there really are no miracles, so long as we retain belief in the possibility.  This delightful debut novel mixes everyday reality with the fantastical, playing with the notion we’re all stardust and golden- as someone who came of age in the 70s that speaks to me.  I liked its message of carpe diem, because you never know what’s coming.  We’re just insignificant specks in the cosmos, a blink and we’re gone.  Life is fragile, too precious to waste on regrets.

The story covers just two weeks in the life of Adam Westman, but it’s a momentous time.  Adam & best friend Dart are about to sit final exams and graduate high school, boys soon to become men.  Uncertain of the future they’re scared to be leaving the familiar fixed routine to embark on life’s great adventure, filled with possibility.  But two things happen to shake Adam’s world. 

Adam meets Jeff Manfield, 38, a hunky blond cop, ridiculously hot, unbelievably handsome.  He’s a surfer, and he’s gay.  Right from the moment they set eyes upon each other there’s a gravitational pull between Adam & Jeff, despite their age difference.  It’s the right time for both of them.

Jeff may be pushing forty but he suffers from arrested development. Work is his life.  His 20s were marked by AIDS, though paranoia kept him free of the virus.  Now, scared by the complications of emotional entanglements he’s catching up on lost time, and cruises gay bars for casual sex to avoid commitment.  Jeff’s only friend seems to be Susan, his partner, who can’t accept her ideal man is gay.  It’s nice to see a mix of gay/straight characters in a novel, a more accurate reflection of real life I like to think.

When Adam’s father, Greg, commits suicide, Jeff & Susan are the officers called to investigate.  Adam’s parents divorced when he was 8 because his ambitious mother couldn’t live with Greg’s chronic depression.  Adam and younger sister Sandra stayed with Greg, which meant Adam took on the responsibility of keeping the family going.  It’s serious stuff, and Krach shows just how awful it is to live with someone who just can’t cope with life, who has given up on ever finding happiness and love again.

There’s an authenticity in Adam’s experience that avoids sensationalism- or worse, exploitation of mental illness.  Krach handles this delicate subject with admirable skill. He doesn’t shirk very real implications, yet the story has a positive outcome that isn’t contrived or fanciful.

Adam isn’t a regular- or stereotypical- 18 year-old (I’ve got one myself who doesn’t conform either).  Bright and articulate, he’s going to Stanford to study English lit.  Due to the difficult circumstances of his family life he’s very mature, whereas Jeff retains a youthful innocence which makes the intergenerational relationship work.  Krach takes it slow, building from that initial spark of attraction.  Jeff & Adam are awkward and hesitant together, very realistic.  Jeff understandably is reluctant to get involved with an inexperienced kid, but he just can’t resist. 

It’s very tricky to pull off an autumn-spring romance.  I’m not usually too keen on the idea, preferring my romantic pairings to be equals, all-man.  However, Krach made this one work for me, with no suggestion of exploitation.  Through Jeff, Adam lets go his anger.  Even more praiseworthy is that Jeff so convinces as a sweet, wonderful guy with inner strength like steel bands you know exactly what Adam sees in him…heck, I’m head-over-heels myself!

There’s no homophobia, no gay angst.  Adam & Dart are middle-class white kids, attractive and able to pass for straight, living in liberal South California.  The only aspect of the story that jarred a little I can’t talk about without spoiling the plot.  However, in the end I could accept it probably didn’t matter, convinced by the characters.

We can’t control our lives however much we try, things always get messy, but if we don’t take chances then we won’t enjoy the good things either.  Nothing is certain, so we just have to take what comes and enjoy the moment.  Who know whether Adam & Jeff’s relationship will last once Adam goes to college.   For as long as it lasts they’re happy, and that’s all anyone can hope for.  

This really is a feel-good novel, like it’s been sprinkled with the dust of the stars we’re all made from.  I hope Krach has another in the works, for he’s a talented writer.  Not to be missed.