Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

there's no publisher I have a more love/hate relationship with than kensington. they publish a lot of gay novels. unfortunately, they also cloak many of them in occasionally embarassing covers (two cute guys, sometimes in various states of undress-cum-desire). at times, this distracts from the fact that the pages inside are less interesting. other times, it detracts from the fine quality of writing to be found under the covers. a good example of the latter is rob byrnes' the night we met. the jacket copy is predictably cheesy ("wickedly funny ... the most deliciously wacky love story in ages - a screwball romantic comedy..." - hello, cliche'!), and the cover features bold primary colors and two cute guys. it sounded different enough to be interesting (a gay love story where one of the protagonists is part of one of nyc's biggest mafia families), nice and fluffy, a quick easy read, so I picked it up...

...and was very surprised. not only is byrnes a natural-born novelist (this is his first), but he's crafted a superb novel that balances entertainment (and some classily done sex scenes) with literary merit. the plot seems to propel itself forward, lunging and jumping in places you don't anticipate. the main character, andrew westlake, is drawn very believably, a somewhat street-smart urban(e) gay man thrust into the milieu of new york city's two largest crime families. frank dibenedetto, the man who inadvertantly ensnarls him in the mess, is honest, a man unsure of who he is and what (or who) he wants. and significantly, the night we met has a satisfying ending. is this proust? no, and thank goodness for that. what it is, is a solidly-constructed commercial novel by an author whom I think is only going to get better as his writing continues. I'm eager to read more by byrnes. recommended.