Book Reviews

Book Blurb

1989: The adventure begins during the summer after his freshman year of college when Andy Stevenson accompanies his grandmother on a six-day trip to California to celebrate her brother's 50th wedding anniversary. Once there, however, life becomes a series of comical faux pas with relatives who can't remember his name, women who want to charge him $10 to put suntan lotion on their bodies and where a handsome young man kisses him at the anniversary party. It's that kiss that starts a chain reaction in Andy and forces him to reevaluate what he thinks he knows, what society wants him to believe and why so many people in California are talking about his assets!

Book Review

I'll be honest and admit the title of this book is the first thing that drew me in. The second was that it's written by Kage Alan, who I've come to discover has a fabulous sense of humor, and, oh yeah, he can pen a story, too. So I decided I wanted to take this trip with Kage, or, more accurately, with Andy, the main character, and see where he led me. I was looking for laughs, which I found, but I also found a poignancy I hadn't expected and that made the whole book just that much better.

"Let me just get the answers to standard questions out of the way now. I don't molest children. I don't look at guys in the shower. I don't stare at guys' crotches at the gym, and I don't walk into a room and start picking out guys to try and seduce. Ideas like that only add to existing problems and misconceptions about gays."

Andy did what normal boys do. The curiosity they all had, perhaps Andy a little more than most, was acted on in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. After that, the curiosity was no longer innocent, and, even though Andy still thought about it, he became determined to like girls. Not that he had a whole lot of luck with that. So he went off to freshman year in college, still a virgin, and having dated exactly two girls in high school. Andy was starting to realize he wasn't like these other college kids, but he didn't want to be gay, and he wasn't going to be gay. Andy just figured that he'd lose his "curiosity" after he'd actually had sex with a woman.

Enter Grandma and a trip to California. Andy gets the chance to accompany his grandma to California for her brother's fiftieth anniversary. Grandma hits the airport bar for lubrication and when they get off the plane, she hits the bar with her brother and his wife who picked them up. Andy's great-uncle and grandma proceed to insult Andy and boss him around, making him realize that perhaps this isn't going to be the vacation he thought it'd be. Ahhhhhh, family. And, the hits just kept on flowing. Liberally. He met Jordan at the party and everything was going fine, although Andy was a little confused over some questions, until Jordan came out as a homosexual and Andy didn't have a clue how to react or what to say.

After the fiasco that was the party, Andy gets a reprieve from having to stay with Grandma at his great-uncle and aunt's place and, instead, gets to stay with his second cousin and his wife, Jenny. They, at least, are nearer to his age and Jenny wants to make sure Andy has the full California beach and party experience. Much better. Except for the fact that Jordan is Jenny's nephew. Andy's virgin outing at the beach to score some tail with a hot California babe doesn't go as planned. At the least, it reminded me of how very cruel girls can be. As writing "research" Andy agrees to go dancing at a gay bar with Jordan, and then ends up wondering what all these conflicting feelings are he's having about Jordan. Finally admitting what he's been hiding, even from himself, is liberating and terrifying, all at the same time.

This was a fascinating story, told in first person, and really gave me insight into Andy, but, more importantly, what it means to discover your sexuality when it varies from the traditional. All was not serious, however. Andy was, at the best of times, a smartass. At other times, he could be considered rude and annoying. Personally, I loved him, but, I'm twisted that way. It was eye-opening to hear his thoughts about what straight men were like and what he always believed gay men to be. It was sad to see the extent of Andy's very low self-esteem, but it was also something I could relate to. His struggle to figure out who he was almost shattered my heart and gave me even more admiration for those people who do stand up and proclaim who they are, proudly. Kudos to you, Kage, for a wonderful book, and thank you for sharing it.

"Because I don't want to be different!' I screamed, and we both jumped. 'Let me tell you something about different - it sucks."

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Zumaya Publications for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 264 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	16-July-2008
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback
Buy Link	http://www.amazon.com/Funny-Thing-Happened-Sexual-Orientation-ebook/dp/B001MIZOFA