Rainbow Reads - October 2015

Fact or fiction? The line is blurred within the confines of imagination and truth. These five books speak to the very heart of life's journey. Daisy Hernandez's memoir, "A Cup of Water Under My Bed" is rich and warm as she shares her story of growing up in a Cuban-Columbian family in New Jersey. "Koolaids" by Rabih Alameddine is reissued in paperback because of its poetic blend of living among the AIDS epidemic and the war in Beirut, Lebanon. Brian McNamara presents a fictional account of first gay love and separation with "Breaking Up Point." "You only have six months to live" is captured with eloquent absurdity in Edward St. Aubyn's novel, "Clue To The Exit." While "Parade" by Michael Graves draws the reader into the tale of two male cousins...each about to discover their own calling in life. Only one of these books is non-fiction, yet there are truths unleashed...in all of them.

"A Clue To The Exit" / Edward St. Aubyn

A man deals with his own mortality after being given six months to live in "A Clue To The Exit." The man in question is a divorced father with one teenage daughter, a successful screenwriter and quite certainly, a man trying to fathom and figure out how to spend the final months of his own life. Dry, metaphysical and darkly humorous, Edward St. Aubyn's intelligently charged book draws brilliantly on the very human thoughts which twist and unwind in the circumstances of the cards that Charlie Fairburn is dealt. St. Aubyn's sense of imagery and detail is masterfully presented as part of the scenic landscape of Fairburn's thoughts and the locales in which he finds himself. The intensity is felt from trying to run away from life while walking into the face of death and it's whipped creatively into a subtle frenzy on every page of "A Clue To The Exit."

"A Clue To The Exit"
Edward St. Aubyn
Picador
$16.00

"Breaking Up Point" / Brian McNamara

Primarily geared for a reading audience who are experiencing the dilemmas and joys of "coming out" now and dealing with those crucial years from 18 to 21-years old, "Breaking Up Point" may inhabit a feeling of "Been there, done that," or "They have no idea how different it was..." for those born from a different generation of gay men. However, author Brian McNamara puts an emphasis on the communications and interactions of daily life... which lead to mature decisions with a watchful eye of resolve to this first love affair. The plot structure of the book is a basic one. 18-year-old Brendon enters his freshman year at college. His boyfriend Mark is in his senior-year of high school. How will these young men deal with the separation of distance and time spent apart? The emotions, friendships and family relationships are realistically written about in enhancing the truths of what it means to be open as a young, gay man.

"Breaking Up Point"
Brian McNamara
Bold Strokes Books
$11.95

"A Cup Of Water Under My Bed" / Daisy Hernández

Daisy Hern�ndez has created a deeply rich and witty memoir in "A Cup of Water Under My Bed." Growing up in New Jersey as a child of Cuban/Columbian upbringing, she presents the love and religious beliefs with the superstitions and dissension of being raised under such a roof. These thoughts and feelings offer great truths on her family and her childhood, teenage years and blossoming sexuality as a young woman. "A Cup of Water Under My Bed" casts an intriguing light on what it is like to be American and yet...knowing that the core of your person and upbringing is based on the history of your parents, aunts and their upbringing in Cuba and Columbia after immigrating to the United States. Interspersed with her parent's history is her own coming-of-age story of discovering her true sense of self. A family's love is at the heart of "A Cup of Water Under My Bed" and Hern�ndez presents a triumphant and worthwhile read that is respective and realistic to the struggles, joy and accomplishments of her life.

"A Cup of Water Under My Bed"
Daisy Hern�ndez
Beacon Press
$18.00

"Koolaids" / Rabih Alameddine

Thoughts fly like bullets throughout "Koolaids." Each expecting to hit the target of intensity head-on. Moving through two different and turbulent times...as to what it was like to live during the AIDS crisis and the war in Beirut, Lebanon. Alameddine, is clearly knowledgeable on both situations. It's the style though which may be frustrating as it's almost like catching gophers of emotions which pop up and down from one premise to the other. There is no structure of time other than death, snippets of life and wartime. From diary entries, to ramblings of inner-turmoil or personal reflections of the primary fictional voice, an impact is made, yet it is not a conventional avenue of storytelling. Therein lies "Koolaids" distinctiveness. It's unsettling, historically and medically accurate and tragic in the intensity of death by AIDS and revealing the culture of life in Beirut. How the book could be called fiction is the ultimate skill in writing from Rabih Alameddine.

"Koolaids"
Rabih Alameddine
Grove Press
$14.00

"Parade" / Michael Graves

Two cousins, Reggie and Elmer, both seem at a crossroad as to the ever-present dilemma of what they want to do with their lives in "Parade."

Reggie is a nineteen-year-old who grapples with his religious faith and his coming to terms with being gay, while Elmer, at 24 years of age, can't get a grip on what he wants to pursue as a career. When a stroke of good luck combined with a strong dose of misfortune in a tragic turn of events occurs, the two end up fleeing to Florida to pursue their dreams.

What ensues is a comical, inspired and at times... dangerous exploration of spirituality, sex, booze and stimulants amid the chaos and joy of the situation at hand.

Gay author Michael Graves has a keen eye of the farce and facts of life. "Parade" is a page-turner of surprise that holds the attention and a skillfully crafted novel to be savored for its uniqueness.

"Parade"
Michael Graves
Chelsea Station Editions
$18.00