Book Review: Small Rain by Garth Greenwell

 

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 302

 

Rating: ★★★★★

A man’s life is thrown in jeopardy by a sudden, wrenching pain in his gut that thrusts him into the heart of the dysfunctional American healthcare system. Now a prisoner in an ICU ward, surrounded by an army of healthcare workers—some caring and competent, many indifferent and/or incompetent—he struggles to understand what is happening to his body, his life, and the man he loves.

A penetrating, far-reaching novel pushing the boundaries of human experience, where the forces that give life value―art, poetry, music, wellbeing, care, loved ones―are thrown into sharp relief. Feelings expand and contract: sense of time, fear, hope. Intimacies bloom. Fears crush. Small Rain exposes our shared vulnerability, the limits and benefits of sympathy, the ideal of art, and the fragile dream of America. Above all, this is an unexpected love story. 

 

An incredible novel… I confess in many ways I found this a horror story. The descriptions of the dysfunctional American healthcare system were both shocking and depressing. But this story has vividly drawn characters, many of them heroes, overcoming a hideous situation. It is a story about survival, but more so it is a beautiful love story. 

 

When the protagonist goes into the hospital with a ruptured blood vein, he’s close to dying, and because this happens during the height of the COVID epidemic, he is allowed no visitors. He is separated from a man he loves while faced with dying. This is a tender story of being divided from a loved one and the life you’ve created with him at the point in your life when you need him most.

 

Small Rain is an exquisitely crafted yarn. The fears, loneliness, concerns, and surprising intimacies seem genuine, and carry the reader along. The prose read like a diary, but the voice is one with the refinement of a seasoned professional.

 

I have now read three Greenwell novels. The other two, Cleanness and Mitko, were equally remarkable. Greenwell has quickly become one of my favorite gay writers. I can’t wait to read his other story, What Belongs to you.

 

 

Gong Wei Fat Choi!!!

May the Year of the Snake bring you good fortune, good health, and mucho happiness. Wishing everyone lots of happiness and prosperity in this year of the Snake. Happy New Year 2025!

Let it Snow Snow Snow

Palm Springs normally gets snow on our beautiful mountains before Christmas. The year, however, two days ago was our first rain in a year, and hence, our first snow on the mountain for this season. We love our snowy peaks.

 

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Rattling Good Yarns

Pages: 231

 

Rating:★★★

Ben Bennett owns and manages a failing bookstore. Although he’s had offers to buy his shop, he somehow hangs on because he loves his quiet life, a snug existence surrounded by literary books, a single employee to keep him company, and his feisty sister Mal to stir things up. But that all changes when he crosses paths with Avery Fitzgerald, a close friend of his sister’s new boyfriend. Avery is vexingly handsome, absurdly wealthy, a savvy business developer, and very outgoing, everything Ben Bennett is not. Avery has one other attribute, he takes a shine to unobtrusive little Ben Bennett, and the more Ben refuses to give Avery the attention he seeks, the brighter that shine glows. 

 

Can complete opposites really attract each other? Not before their lives unravel in ways they never expected.

 

The more Ben tries to resist Avery’s advances, the more Avery finds new ways to weave himself into the fabric of Ben’s life until sparks fly and hearts collide. This is a modern, queer twist on Pride and Prejudice. And like P&P, if follows the romance formula of two people who are meant for each other but can’t seem to get it together until the very end. The road to love is never easy, especially for a geeky bookworm swimming in a sea of self-doubt.

A wonderful debut novel… I confess I was not looking forward to reading another romance novel, but this story has true grace and vividly drawn characters that entice the reader into this beautifully crafted yarn. The emotions and concerns seem genuine, and carry the reader along.

What struck me even more than the story’s insightful observations was the writing voice. Samantha Ryan tells a simple yarn with the refinement of a seasoned professional.

I did have one minor issue with this story. In order for the protagonist, Ben Bennett, to wander through most of the story oblivious to Avery’s obvious advances, the author makes Ben out to be rather dense, to the point of often being stupid. I found myself rolling my eyes in several spots. I feel she could have found better ways of handling the protagonist’s refusal of Avery.

That issue aside, I highly enjoyed Pride.

Book Review: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

 

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Forge Books (Oct, 2022)

Pages: 277

Rating:★★★★

 

Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide their sexuality. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept. Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy.

This is the first book in a series of Detective Evander Mills mysteries.

 

This is a tale of loss and redemption. The hero, Detective Mills, is at the end of his rope after being caught having sex in the men’s room of a gay bar. He loses everything, but then he is hired as a private detective to solve a murder. He soon finds that Lavender House is an island of gay honesty within a sea of 1950’s bigotry. In this open environment, Mills finds that a new life, an open life, is possible. This story is not just a murder mystery, and in fact, the mystery seems secondary to the awaking that Mills experiences. This is about bigotry, learning to stand your ground, and more importantly, learning to stand up for those like you, your family. 

 

I found this book rather slow in parts, and I also found the solving of the mystery was neither complex nor exciting, but the author was able to take me back sixty years, into my teens, to a time before gay rights. I lived through this time of bigotry, when I had to hide who I was from my family, friends, the entire world. This author skillfully made me remember what that bigotry felt like, the fear and shame, and for that I found this a fascinating read. Well done. 

 

Ultimately, this is a taut story of crushing loneliness and the fragility of human connections. It delves into the desperate need we feel to cling to anything that lessens that loneliness. The characters are brutally authentic, and the author handles them with sympathy and honesty. The reader so easily feels compassion, even becomes them as they face morally difficult choices.

 

Like so many formula thrillers, this story leaves the reader feeling satisfied, like a wool blanket on a chilly afternoon. It is an easy read with a splash of gay stardust to keep things more interesting.

 

This book was discussed at my book club, and we had a lively dialogue where everyone gave it two thumbs up. 

Yes, More Food Please

Yes, more food complements of Ben Wong. The celebration continues. Tonight is family night. Ben prepared his favorite dishes to enjoy at home with Herman and Me, and also his brothers and sisters—Sam, Anita, and Hedie. Afterward, we were invited next door to my dear neighbors Keith and Lee for dessert. Happy Birthday Herman!

Chef Ben Wong doing his magic.

Appetizers - stuffed Jalapeños and Cuttlefish

Homemade Fish Head Soup with Lotus Root, Daikon, Carrot and Tofu.

Stirred Fried Tender Beef with Floretto Cauliflower.

Chicken with Pork Belly and Snow Pea.

Abalone with Winter Melon and Black Mushrooms.

Stuffed Fuzzy Squash with Vermicelli

Dessert at neighbors Keith and Lee.

Unfortunately, Keith is not doing well. His health has deteriorated and he doesn’t have much time left. It was therefore great to get to talk with him a last time. He is truly a wonderful human being. Happy to have known him for so many years.

Happy Birthday Herman, day 2

Our good friend, Ben Wong, treated us and several guests to a second B-day dinner at the Lai Hong Lounge. Everyone there, and they were all foodies, said this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in San Francisco. Indeed, every dish was incredible. This was a full-on Chinese Banquet with some of the finest cuisine anywhere. A massive amount of food, drink, and good cheer. 

We band of foodies, we happy few.

Crab Meat with Fish Maw Soup

Almond Shrimp Ball

Imperial Peking Duck

 

Sauteed Grass Fish with Green

Abalone in Oyster Sauce with Snow Pea Leave 

Prawn with Royal Soy Sauce

Pan Fried Seabass

Dry Scallop Egg White Fried Rice

Koi Fish Mango Pudding

Ben, you are an incredible friend and a generous human being. We thank you so much for a spectacular meal.