Finding Faith - a novel
Son Frere - a film
Mambo Italiano - a film
Brokeback Mountain - a...novella?
Almost Paradise - a novel

Taylor Connolly is a hotshot employment lawyer, who wins “a high-profile sexual harassment case levied against one of the biggest companies in town.” The fact that he is down-to-earth and non-pretentious makes him sweet and loveable…it doesn’t hurt that he is nice to look at and has a good sense of humor, too. Taylor has everything going for him.  He is on top of the world until he arrives home to find his lover of two years in the arms of another man—laying on his pillow no less!

Taylor’s defense mechanism is to run. He ends up on the doorstep of his best friend and confidant, Genevieve Pouissant. Gen invites Taylor to move in with her until he gets his life back together. Taylor takes to living in her charming, friendly small town and soon grows to love it—especially when he gets a crush on a cute baker and post-grad student named Tom McEwan. Taylor and Tom become fast friends and each longs to take it a step further, but neither one has the nerve to make the first move.

Taylor isn’t one to care whether or not anyone knows he’s gay, but he doesn’t want to jeopardize a possible relationship with Tom. It could be that Tom doesn’t want to be outed in their small town. The more time they spend together, the more Taylor wants Tom to be part of his life…if only he could tell him.

Taylor decides to buy his own house in town and enlists the help of a realtor named Faith Roberts. Faith wants more from Taylor than a commission. She is after this handsome, Jaguar-driving bachelor and is relentless in her efforts to win his favor.

Meanwhile, well-meaning friends introduce Taylor to Neil Gardener, a wealthy, self-confident, super model type of guy, who is not only “out,” but he’s more than interested in Taylor. Neil makes it hard for Taylor to resist him, complicating his feelings for Tom.

Andrew Barriger’s debut novel, Finding Faith, is fast-paced, fun to read, and thoroughly enjoyable. I love Barriger’s use of language, his delectable desserts, loveable characters, and suspenseful story, not in a murder mystery sort of way, but in the—who will Taylor end up with? sort of way. According to author and reviewer, Ronald L. Donaghe, “Another mark of a good writer is to create a setting so believable, that the readers might be tempted to find it on the map.” Donaghe also writes, "In fact, readers will be able to smell the food coming out of the oven, taste the meals set before them, hear the music played, maybe even recognize the characters coming down the street.” I really loved reading this book and can’t wait to read Finding Peace, and any other books authored by Andrew Barriger.

In the opening of Patt Gavin’s first novel, Almost Paradise, we meet the daring Peter Grant. He is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, who is willing to put his personal safety on the line for the perfect picture to illustrate a story. When Peter sets his mind to something, he will go to any extent to achieve his goal.

Next, we meet Craig Walters, a flight attendant, a theater major in college, who never realized his dream of being a big star. Working for the airlines has its perquisites: he has good benefits and gets to travel. He may not be as rich and famous as his best friend, Peter, but he makes a living. Peter was not always rich. In fact, he knows all too well what it feels like to be hungry so he anonymously donates money to food banks and soup kitchens. He is a true philanthropist in every sense of the word.

Peter and Craig met in college and have been friends for twenty years. They were roommates and even dated for a while but, while Craig lives as an openly gay man, Peter remains in the closet. Peter felt that coming out of the closet would hurt their careers, so he kept his door tightly shut, even though Craig did not. Peter denied his intense feelings for Craig while the two men remained close friends and lived in apartments right next to each other.

When Peter wants to relocate he finally professes his love for Craig and asks him to go with him. Peter discloses his homosexuality publicly and they become a couple once again. Peter is not subtle at work and he is not subtle in his personal life. He feels guilty for the years of denying who he is, especially for not helping his gay community fight for its rights. Peter decides to help his community in a very big way.

Peter was oblivious to the discrimination gays faced; gay sub-culture was foreign to him. Craig has to fill Peter in on everything, as if Peter has been living on the moon, instead of here in the USA. Some of Craig’s explanations to Peter make the reader wonder how any well-informed citizen would not know certain basic facts. You do not have to be gay to find such explanations tedious but, to anyone in need of lessons on being gay, it could be helpful.

Almost Paradise is a story about one man’s quest to make a difference in the lives of GLBT people everywhere. Peter orchestrates a migration to Hawaii that eventually leads to his seeking public office. He hopes to change laws enjoyed only by heterosexuals. If elected, he promises, and I quote, “These rights would include the right to marry, to adopt children, freedom from discrimination in housing and employment, and all state sponsored tax rights offered to married heterosexual couples.” If he wins the governorship, he will not only fight for gay rights but he will represent all his constituents whether they are gay or straight. He will govern for the good of all.  For the first time in his life, Peter is not afraid to use his celebrity to further his cause.

Patt Gavin writes an interesting, timely story about gays rallying together for a cause in order to make some positive changes in the legislation concerning gay rights and marriage. While the story may seem far-fetched at times, it is the privilege of an author of fiction to take such liberties. He hits upon a good idea for accomplishing their goals. Read Almost Paradise to find out what the idea is and if wishes come true.

Son Frere is a story of lost love between two estranged brothers. Thomas (Bruno Todeschini) is suffering from a potentially fatal, incurable blood disorder, which could lead to hemorrhage at the slightest provocation. He hasn’t seen his brother in many years and asks Luc (Eric Caravaca), to help him through his last, long, hard road ahead.

The brothers explore Luc’s homosexuality, and how it has affected their relationship. We meet the brothers’ parents (Antoinette Moya and Fred Ulysse) and although they remain mostly in the background of the story, we get a better understanding of the family’s dynamics.

As an aside, it is refreshing to see the straight character portrayed as weak and sick instead of the stereotype of the gay character dying from AIDS.

The film may be too clinical for some tastes and not recommended for anyone with a weak stomach. The hospital scenes are graphic and realistic in some ways, yet unrealistic in others, and could use editing, as many are superfluous. For example, the scene where Thomas is being prepped for surgery is long and drawn out and could have been shortened. Showing proper technique of shaving body hair is a lesson for nursing school— not for a movie. The audience would have gotten the point without having to endure the entire procedure!

Son Frere is slow moving at times, reminding us of the pain and sorrow we feel when watching a loved one die, and being unable to do anything about it. The sequencing of the events is not in order; pay careful attention to the captions stating which month of the year they are referring to at any given time. Even with these criticisms, I still found it hard to stop watching this movie. It held me captive as I longed to find out if Thomas and Luc would reconcile their relationship, if Luc and his boyfriend, Vincent (Sylvain Jacques) would remain a couple, and if Thomas’s girlfriend, Claire (Nathalie Boutefen), would stick by him through his illness. It is a shame that the film never really explains why there is a problem with Luc and Vincent’s relationship. Nor does it explore if something is going on between Thomas and Vincent, since it clearly bothered Luc when Vincent went to visit his brother in the hospital. There are many unknowns, leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks.

Voyeurs will not be disappointed since there is ample nudity during medical procedures, bedroom scenes, and nude beach scenes. The acting is excellent and captivating. Todeschini, Caravaca, and Boutefeu give outstanding performances and make this film worth watching. I’m giving this movie only three stars because of the time wasted on trivial events, but I recommend Son Frere for its poignant depiction of the strength of brotherly love. Throughout the film, you get the feeling that you are visiting Thomas in the hospital along with Luc, witnessing perhaps more than you would care to, and sometimes wishing visiting hours would be over. The emotional impact of coming to terms with one's mortality is the glue that holds the audience in place—trying to find some ray of hope amid the pain and suffering. Son Frere reminds us that life is too short to waste on holding grudges and losing touch with the ones you love.

Angelo (Luke Kirby) believes that there is no fate worse than being gay and Italian. Especially in his traditional Italian family that expects children to remain at home until they get married—or die. To his melodramatic parents, it is a tragedy—not only is Angelo leaving the nest as a single, 27 year old man, but, he is gay. Oy vey!  I mean, Mama Mia! How is Angelo supposed to get married now? How will his parents cope with such troubles and still hold their heads up in front of the neighbors? Their Little Italy section of Montreal is a very close-knit neighborhood.

Mambo Italiano is a comedy about a couple, Maria (Ginette Reno), and Gino (Paul Sorvino), who emigrate from Italy to the New World. What they thought was America was, in fact, Canada. How could they know Canada wasn’t the right New World? They make a go of it and start a family. They have Anna and then Angelo, who often stick together to survive their parent’s strict manner and upbringing. Anna is a nervous girl who is perpetually under the care of a Psychiatrist. Angelo hates his job and is tired of hiding his identity. He is wary of dating girls just to please his parents and he really wants to be a writer, not a travel agent. While Anna’s social life is hopping, her brother’s social life is non-existent.

Angelo’s life changes when a robbery in his new apartment reunites him with a long lost childhood friend, Nino. Nino is a macho cop with an image to uphold, but he has feelings for Angelo and Angelo has feelings for him.  Angelo and Nino decide to share an apartment and become more than roommates. They become secret lovers. All the trouble begins when Angelo decides to come out of the closet—Nino prefers to stay in. How each family reacts to the news that their sons are gay, and living in sin as a couple, is hysterical, yet touching.

The stress of their family’s torment breaks the two apart. Angelo finds an outlet at a gay helpline center and becomes a volunteer. Meanwhile, Nino’s mom would rather have her son marry a tramp, Pina, than remain in a loving gay relationship. Nino seeks comfort in his own way after the break up.

This movie is not to be missed if you want a funny spin on a dramatic film. I give this movie 5 stars for its wit and charm.

Annie Proulx, a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, packs a tremendous amount of information and incredible prose in 58 short pages. Brokeback Mountain is a heart-wrenching, gritty novella about two tough ranch hands who meet on a job and, inexplicably, fall in love. These stoic, impecunious, high-school dropouts, who live rough lives, are desperately in need of a job. Both Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist sign up with “Farm and Ranch Employment” and end up herding for the same sheep operation on Brokeback Mountain.

Ennis is engaged to be married when he meets Jack and doesn’t consider himself “queer.” Neither does Jack. The two men embark on an intimacy that they feel is their own business, as long as it isn’t hurting anybody else. It’s just sex between two, lonely, horny, guys and it means nothing. When the summer is over and they part, Ennis feels horrible about leaving Jack. If, what they had together meant nothing, then why can’t Ennis shake the bad feeling separation brings?

Ennis and Jack lose track of each other for four years and are reunited as married men with children. The love affair picks up where it left off during that summer on Brokeback Mountain. They share a forbidden love, sweeter than each man has with his wife, but actions against conventional relationships could prove to be deadly. Cowboys, even tough ones, who admitted to being gay, were often tortured and murdered. Jack wants to have a life with Ennis and start up a ranch with him. Ennis is neither ready nor willing to give up his heterosexual lifestyle, even if he does love Jack.

The detail with which Proulx describes the setting puts the reader in the mountains of Wyoming, surrounded by meadows, sheep, coyotes, and the expansive sky. You can smell the horses, campfire, beer, and cigarettes as Ennis and Jack sit around at night trading stories and getting to know each other. You can feel the exhaustion of the back- breaking work of tending sheep. Proulx delights the reader with accounts of every feeling, scent, and action. The dialect is precise and the text is never tedious or boring; it simply enriches the story as vitamins enrich food. With narration like this, the reader knows exactly what is going on and is transported into every nuance of the story.

Annie Proulx is in the same class as John Steinbeck and Mark Twain, in my humble opinion. I cannot stress enough how well written this book is, or what a gut wrenching story it is—but I can stress how highly I recommend reading this book. My only complaint is that it is too short.  Don’t miss reading Brokeback Mountain. Soon, it will be made into a major motion picture, which I hope will be true to the book.