The Trouble Boyby Tom Dolby
Kensington, © 2005
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN: 0758206178
Also available in Hardcover - ISBN: 075820616X
Genre: GLBT Fiction
Rating: 5 of 5
Toby Griffin is determined to prove to himself--and to his parents--that he can make it on his own in New York City. Fresh out of college, Toby's dream is to be a screenwriter. His parents, both wildly successful at a young age, have high expectations of their only child. Those expectations don't include a career in writing. "I'm afraid you're living in a fantasy world," his father tells him.
In some ways, Toby's father is right. Toby's job writing club reviews for a trendy website throws him into the glitzy, sometimes gritty, nightlife of the City. Things become even more fantasylike when the website folds and Toby lands a plush job as personal assistant to Cameron Cole, an infamous gay film mogul. He suddenly finds himself in the world of movie stars, violence, sex, and drugs.
Thanks to Cameron's influence, everything seems to be falling into place for Toby--but at what price? Will he sell his soul to sell his screenplay?
The answers to the questions in his personal life aren't coming any easier. Toby is tiring of the endless string of one-night stands with virtual strangers he knows only by descriptive tags: Loft Boy, Real World Guy, Goth Boy. He longs for something more, but can he find it in a world that seems to value lust over love?
The Trouble Boy is Tom Dolby's debut novel. At first glance, one might be tempted to write off Boy as a frothy gay version of a chick-lit book--a sort of gay sex in the city. While there's plenty of sex, fashion, pop-culture references, and name dropping, there's also a lot more happening beneath the surface. At heart, this is a book about a young man finding himself.
Dolby writes with great flair and wit. You come to care deeply about his young protagonist despite his mistakes and bad choices. Even at his worse, you fully understand Toby's motivations--a true testament to Dolby's skill. Dolby himself is a young writer, and I hope we can expect much more from this talented author in the year's to come.
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Josh Aterovis, Author/Columnist/Reviewer
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