Zigzag by Philip Gambone at Rattling Good Yarns Press
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Mature Lovers / Fiction |
Reviewed by | Bob-O-Link on 21-January-2025 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Mature Lovers / Fiction |
Reviewed by | Bob-O-Link on 21-January-2025 |
You're Never Too Old
Philip Gambone’s long-awaited second book of short stories takes off from where his highly acclaimed first collection ended, taking us now into the lives of older gay men. These sixteen, loosely interconnected stories are about men who have experienced a lot: marriages and break-ups; rekindling old loves and starting new romances; the search for sex in an online era; the loss of familiar gay culture; the death of loved ones; and always the adventure of living in a world where they have to make up the rules as they go along.
Gambone takes us to a radical faerie wedding; a closeted French teacher’s classroom; the weekly café gathering of a group of older gay bohemians, one of whom has adopted a child; a randy eighty-year-old portrait painter who insists his clients pose in the nude; a gay man who discovers his brother is HIV positive; a man in a wheelchair who hires a straight, 23-year-old companion; another who periodically hooks up with a married man; and a long-standing gay couple whose weekly visits to a sports café in Boston’s Italian neighborhood present a delicious and dangerous temptation.
As George Stambolian said of his first collection, “Philip Gambone he has done something extraordinary—he has written with honesty, humor, and compassion about the lives of ordinary gay men. His characters speak to us in voices that are almost hypnotically real. They charm us with their words only to catch us with startling revelations of truth.”
Now these “ordinary gay men” have reached a new stage in their lives, where the pull of multiple responsibilities, conflicting desires, and cross-generational connections both enriches and tests the identities they they’ve built up over the years. Exhilarating, heart-warming, sexy, and very real—Gambone’s stories zigzag through the twists and turns of each character’s life toward a place where gratitude, peace, self-acceptance, wisdom, and even spiritual growth abound.
How dare I provide a review when this book of short stories already comes with encomiums included from some of our greatest writers of gay lit? Of course, they likely got free copies. Wait! So did I. Perhaps my ensuing brevity will markedly increase the word-for-word value!
Now, to earn my free read, as always, I must remind you that reviewing short stories is much effort, seeking out some commonality and writing multiple comments. Whew! Children’s books are easier, even if less erotic. One provider of a prefatory comment notes modern maturity of gay men is a commonality. Hey, that’s me. If that also is, or may expected to be you, welcome to a terrific read. Here follow some thoughts about a few entries.
Bar Story
“A man walks into a bar,” says Dominik, opening with a standard, stupid line. He meets a friend in a neighborhood bar, which is about to close on a very cold night. Phillip, the bartender, athletically mixes drinks with the style of a go-go-boy. Sunday nights, Philip would perform with flamboyant style, Tonight, only Dominik and Michael are customers, though regular repartee continues. Michael acknowledges feeling old as “… the ongoing woes of the modern urban, post-liberation, post-ghetto, aging gay American male.” Our personae are set! Conversation follows, including Dominik’s tale of a long but unsatisfactory telephone conversation with a potential date/hook-up. Even though the guy stated that he “liked older guys.” They sadly commiserate that late fifties now qualifies as older. Date failure is parsed, as well as a dating cite – though some are more like job interviews! Eventually, Dominik departs, saying “A man walks out of a bar…” Heading home, he recalls his former lover and his many, many faults. Their relationship ended to be followed by therapy – which reduced his expectation of any future outcome with permanence. On the way he slips on the ice and injures his arm. He calls Michael for help, who turns up with Philip in tow.
The development of character continues, until Michael and Philip leave, together. Sadly, aging seems to turn certitude to but a problematic existence. When asked if he is okay, Dominik replies “My whole life has been about looking for an answer to that question.”
Falling to sleep, Dominik turns philosophical. Perhaps taking the first step is `quite sufficient, and “a man walks into a bar…” requires no certain follow up.
The Beautiful Game
Mitch and narrator watch a Sunday soccer match at their favorite hangout – the Sport. As a frequent “last picked” gym class loser, the narrator keeps his sort-of-husband company in a place for post-dinner dessert, a hang-out for retired Italian-American men a date venue, a clubhouse for soccer fans. The narrator finishes a chapter in the Balzac book which he is reading and examines the crowd, self-acknowledging that, having attained their sixties, they no longer look gay.
The narrator met Mitch at a now-defunct bathhouse. The details of their first encounter resulted in rejection, but meeting on the street afterward, Mitch is invited by the narrator for a sleepover – proving the truth of the formula that attraction is multiplied by the proximity to closing time! Author Gambone evinces insight, as our narrator then ponders what face to present in response: Hot trick? Struggling artist? Bookish nerd? A usual reaction, probably? More problematic – whether to be bedded? To f*ck? To be f*cked by? The narrator cites Zen guru Alan Watts – whoever the hell he is – “Just be with whatever is now. Desire is impermanent; everything is impermanent.” Also, does erudition impress or demean readers? Bless computers!
Anyhow. The principals stumble into bed, Mitch tops and, at thirty-five, the narrator discovers that “love might still be in the cards.” The next morning is pleasant, and Mitch claims to have been shy. Sure! Of more interest, the two seem so different – shy vs aggressive, intellectual vs non-intellectual, interest commencing with a grope. Are you old enough to remember the standard rule for cruising: f*ck first and then determine whether you like each other? Here we have a confirmation of possibilities, as Mitch remembers the name of Christopher, from hours ago at the baths!
Twenty-eight years follow. Author Gambone makes it brief but real, almost mysterious that such different men should be so powerfully attracted. Sex wanes, faithfulness becomes somewhat moot. The tale tracks the years, and at some time, Christopher becomes somewhat enchanted with Tyler, a nineteen-year-old who works in a deli. Christopher is shocked when the young man expresses having a thing for him, as he really likes older guys. The tale focuses on the ensuing flirtation, until the young man wrangles an invite to Christopher’s apartment during Mitch’s absence. Sex between the heroes has almost disappeared, but Christopher and Tyler are immediately on each other. It does take a while for Christopher to forget about staining the sheets and whether there were clean linens, and eventually just letting go!
Now – realizing that reviews for all twenty-four stories might be excessive, let me attempt some brevity.
Gravity
Three men and a woman share a house in a gentrified Boston neighborhood. Fred, at sixty-five, has lost his partner and now is committed to regular doctor’s visits. Andy, Arthur’s husband, has repeatedly fainted. The repartee is appropriately sharp, as is the tension between the housemates. Fred has a side discussion with Lynette, and a later meting with Arthur – all revelatory to their respective characters.
The Bohemians
Four older friends meet regularly, adopting a name reminiscent of the four principal men in the Puccini opera. Two men, Henry and David (the narrator) with a fifteen-year spread, meet in the local bakery, over newspapers. Jake and Wilson meet there also, and become a couple. One time, Henry announces he was adopting a baby! Henry gets engaged to a young man and, over time, David feels left out. The story is a sociological pastiche on what can occur to older men in our new “out” world.
The Hazardous Life
This is the last individual story I’ll present. It is a wonderful character study of a gay but married professor of French literature. He is combative because he sees his world differently that most around him, and battles to reinforce those difference without simply conceding to majority opinions. And yet, something in him wants to escape into his own, slanted world. The plot is not particularly meaningful, but the hero’s approach to an otherwise alien world is fascinating – especially as our current time seems obsessed with normalizing the gay presence in our society.
Treat yourself with many more stories approaching aging/aged gay experience.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Rattling Good Yearns Press for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook and print |
Length | Anthology, 455 pages |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 17-October-2024 |
Price | $9.99 ebook, $18.95 paperback |
Buy Link | https://www.amazon.com/Zigzag-Philip-Gambone-ebook/dp/B0DGVX1NXW |