 Ken NewmanReviews
Trebor Healey's
Through it Came
Bright Colors
and Jim Grimsley's Comfort and Joy |
 Through it Came Bright colors by Trebor healey Paperback 232 pages, $19.95 ISBN 1560234520 Harrington Park Pr, 2003 |
From
the book’s back cover, “Through It Came Bright Colors is the story of
Neill Cullane, a closeted, conflicted, 21-year-old who lives in two
worlds, light-years and a short drive of his beat-up VW bug
apart. At home, he’s the dutiful son of Frank and Grace, and
devoted brother to Peter, whose battle with a cruel, disfiguring cancer
pulls the Cullane family together, however reluctantly. But in
the shadows of the San Francisco underworld, Neill finds release with
his secret lover Vince Malone, a beautiful junkie/philosopher/thief
whose burning desire for truth lights the path Neill always knew he’d
travel. Through Vince, Neill learns about honesty and love, and
finds the courage to confront his family in the face of tragedy and
loss. “Author Trebor Healey’s rich, lyrical prose provides a unique and intimate look at one man’s struggle to live openly and honestly, to love and to be loved, free from shame and guilt. Through It Came Bright Colors is a compelling saga of emotional, spiritual, and poetic depth.” In brief: this is a well written book. Healey’s use of analogy and prose is artistic, if not enlightening, while not being burdensome. As the description implies, there are two plots interwoven through the book, with alternating chapters carrying the reader through both simultaneously. The plots are concurrently mutually exclusive and synergistic. Neill is a 21 year-old virgin when he meets Vince, a troubled, street-wise genius, who seems to border on schizophrenia. Conservative, middle-class, college student Neill learns from Vince the raw facts of life, from which he has been sheltered. On the other side of Neill’s life, he has dropped out of college to help his parents care for his beloved brother, Peter, a modest, athletic, high school student, whose disfiguring cancer is stealing his good looks, but not his sense of well-being. Neil learns how to be strong in the face of adversity from his younger brother, while learning how to nurture love in the face of adversity from Vince. This is one of the many opportunities the title of the book can be applied. Through It Came Bright Colors is a book about real life, with no punches pulled. It’s believable enough for you to identify with one or more of the characters, and become involved in the plot(s). It is both tender and violent. This is not a “feel good” book. In a world of books offering pap and pabulum, this book is meat and potatoes. It may well survive the test of time to become known as a memorable book in gay literature. Reading it is not likely to make you sigh and smile, and think pretty thoughts. It does have vignettes of sweet, and sometimes passionate, tenderness which give relief to the periods of tension. If you have to have an easy reading book with a happy ending, look elsewhere. If you would rather read a book that will expose you to real life, and involve you in its development and unpredictable outcome, put this one on your reading list. I had a lump in my throat most of the time that I was reading it. At the bittersweet end, I wept. Admittedly, I am emotional and I prefer a happy ending. However, this has become one of my favorite books. |
| Ken
Newman grew up in the desert of southern California, and has a Bachelor
of Science in Engineering from San Diego State University. He is
currently employed as a mechanical engineer. He devotes his spare
time to acting, reading, traveling and writing, and is currently
working on his first book. He and his partner of 24 years live in
a historic “National Register” house in a small town in central Texas.
He can be contacted by email, here. |
|
 Comfort & Joy by Jim Grimsley ISBN: 1565123964 Paperback, 291pages Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 2003 |
From the book’s back
cover: “Ford McKinney is a handsome, successful doctor raised in
a well-to-do Savannah family. His longtime boyfriend, Dan Krell,
is a shy hospital [assistant] administrator with a painful childhood
past. When the holidays arrive, they decide it’s time to go home
together. But the depth of their commitment is tested when Ford’s
parents cannot reconcile themselves to their son’s choices and
long-kept family secrets are revealed by a visit to Dan’s mother. “Comfort and Joy is a poetic and finely wrought novel that explores the difficult journey two men make toward love.” The book begins toward the end of the plot, then flashes back to Ford’s difficult coming out process with a drunken next door neighbor, cum temperamental lover. Ford throws him out, and becomes very lonely, until he finds love-from-afar with Dan, a handsome tenor, singing a Christmas song on the lobby of the hospital where Ford is an intern. Dan’s voice is that of an angel, and haunts Ford’s thoughts. It turns out that this shy young man has fallen in lust with the hunky Ford, who he catches glimpses of, incidental to his duties in the hospital. Ford finally contrives to meet Dan. The development of their relationship is torrid but rocky. The book’s title comes both from the song that Ford heard echoing in the cavernous lobby, as well as the feeling both end up providing for each other. The first part of the book is colored with analogy and poetic prose, luring the reader well into the book until the hook is well set. The book flows smoothly from thought to thought, while not being interrupted with the convention of chapters. It is mostly an easy read, and deals with sensitive, emotional, and heart stirring romantic situations, while captivating the readers’ interest. The plot takes Ford from his most closeted moments, to his complete coming out. Dan is taken from a frightened, introverted young man, seemingly incapable of allowing himself into a relationship, to a devoted, self-assured partner to Ford. Both Ford and Dan grow as individuals, for the sake of the other, and each encourages development in the other. The struggle they encounter with themselves and each other is frustrating and rewarding at the same time. They finally become dependent on each other for love and fulfillment. I heartily recommend this book to all who love love and its nurturing. |