A review by Bob Lind

THE BOYFRIEND by Keith Morrisette (I-Universe, August 2003, $25.95 hc/$15.95 sc) ISBN 0595659683 The Reviewer Bob Lind is a 53 year old openly-gay professional, who lives  in Phoenix, AZ, with one spoiled cat, a former stray.  He has written for some professional publications, has volunteered for several local community organizations, and is an avid reader, mostly of gay fiction. Although considerably over their target age for readers, I've become a fan of the gay-teen-comes-of-age genre of novels, which I started reading to get a perspective on counseling youth on the gay hotline. I've probably read several dozen, many very good, but many others falling into the "gay teen accepts his sexuality week before senior prom, finds out hunk he had crush on since junior high is also gay, they go to prom, everyone cheers them on, world turns into sunshine and lollypops, and they live happily ever after" - but that is about as realistic as George W. Bush addressing the concerns of gay youth. Morrisette's first novel is most definitely not in that stereotypical vein, and provides a realistic, passionate but somewhat edgy profile of Chris, a 17 year old high school senior who felt he was the only gay boy in his small town in Northern Massachusetts. His explorations of his feelings, needs and priorities rings honest with appropriate tinges of romance, wit and anger. Too young to go to bars, he (unsuccessfully) tries "cruising" at a local beach, shopping mall, and even a notorious highway rest stop, with scary results. He finds who he feels is his "one true love", and juggles his feelings against the reality of his daily life as well as his plans for the future. To Chris, he thought his love for Jamie would last forever, and at first didn't want to believe signs that this was not to be. It is a positive story of developing self-esteem, of dealing with reality while remaining true to yourself, and ultimately of learning the true meaning of love. The book contains some sexually-explicit passages that I usually find out of place in novels geared to teens, but the scenes contribute considerably to the character development and do not seem the slightest out of context here. I see from his website that the author has two additional similar novels in progress, and look forward to reading them as well. I'd not hesitate to give The Boyfriend five stars, based on originality and a realistic depiction of gay teen life. Keith Morrisette's Website

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