Gay, United States, Fiction, AIDS, HIV, Relationships, North American 

Characters from Peter McGehee's two novels ( Boys Like Us and Sweetheart ) return courtesy of Wilson, the author's lover, who picks up the story where McGehee left it when he died in 1991. The result, while clearly the work of a different hand, is a warmly observed work about a gay couple's bravery in the face of a messy and protracted death from AIDS. Zero MacNoo, the narrator of the previous two books, is now the central character of a story set in Toronto, but this time the narrative voice belongs to his lover David, who, though he too has AIDS, nonetheless takes on the grim stewardship of Zero's death. Prominently featured in the story are "the Burmuda Triangle" (the lesbian menage a trois who live upstairs), Zero's difficult, alcoholic mother and a socialist transvestite named Searcy, whose high spirits and victory over fag-bashers give the story its lightest moments. Wilson, who passed away in 1992 shortly after completing the manuscript, deserves only praise for this dignified, loving and eminently readable tale. This novel should not be limited to readers of gay-oriented fiction; it is a universal testament to the sustaining power of art.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.