Substitute for Love

Karin Kallmaker
Naiad Press
1562802658

What would you be willing to do in order to secure the health of your mother, your child, your love? Reyna Putnam has sold her soul to the proverbial devil to guarantee that her terminally ill mother has the best care that her father's money can buy. Grip Putnam, the result of generations of politically powerful men, is determined to be President of the United States. Thus he carefully controls his media image as a conservative radio pundit as well as the image of his family. His only surviving child, Reyna is part of that image; a lesbian daughter is not. Reyna walks a careful tight rope, trying to maintain her sanity, and some self identity while she continues personally abhorrent work that keeps her father paying those health bills.

Holly Markham has spent most of the 16 years since her mother's death in an accident, hiding. She hides her body in multiple layers of clothing that reflect her need for self-protection from people who should be her allies in life as well as her self-denial.

But Holly has just done something extraordinary. She quit her job in protest because a coworker has been fired for being an out lesbian. Holly quit her job because it was the right thing to do. This righteous act snowballs as Holly finds herself questioning her eight year relationship with Clay, an older, male, college instructor who is controlling and critical, and her feelings about a host of other issues. In a matter of weeks Holly's life will change completely as she discovers several surprises about her mother, her early childhood and herself.

Kallmaker's characterization, humor and story telling skills continue to develop with each novel she writes. Substitute for Love may be her best book to date. --Although part of me continues to prefer her scifi/fantasy titles written as Laura Adams, this is like the difference between Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey. Both are good. It depends on your mood and taste. -- Kallmaker gives us a glimpse at the mind of a mathematician through Holly's thought process. She points out the frustrating futility that our nation's health care system creates for people who are not independently wealthy. Yet she pokes fun at the liberal Clay's touting of "a simple life" without understanding the trade off in human labor, supplied by Holly for eight years, required to achieve it.

The Putnam Institute, located in Orange County, California, is symbolic of several extreme right-wing political groups in the area. Kallmaker uses its work to address a number of methods similar groups employ in their campaign against homosexuality, i.e., fund-raising, "ex-gay" therapy, and the hypocrisy of people who pass. Kallmaker manages to address all these issues without interrupting the romance or seeming "too busy." Kallmaker even manages to give readers hope that the socio-political wave the right has been riding may have already crested.

Kallmaker is dependable for highly erotic scenes that will leave the reader warm and dreamy. The action between Holly and Reyna is no exception to this skill. Substitute for Love is a keeper. One that I expect to read more than once.

-MJ Lowe

Finding H. F.: a Novel

Julia Watts
Alyson Books
www.alyson.com
1555836224

Life in towns like Morgan, Kentucky has never been easy for queer teens. The Appalachias of southeastern Kentucky continues to hold claim to the title "buckle of the bible belt." And children are still being named things like Pierre Beauregard --after his father's favorite CSA general-- and Heavenly Faith --her memaw was hoping her daughter's illegitimate child will grow into the name rather than following her mother's footsteps. Bo and H.F. for short, please, are struggling through their high school years in Morgan in Finding H. F.: a Novel by Julia Watts. The increased awareness of gay and lesbian issues in the new millennium increases queer teens' visibility and their vulnerability to peer punishment.

As H.F. who narrates this story of coming out and coming of age in 21st Century Appalachia, says "I guess I'm lucky, though, because I'm not the only one in school who's different. I don't have to be a lonely gazelle limping along while the lions stalk me. I've got Bo for a friend, and bless his heart, he's got it a lot rougher that I do. The sissy boys always have it harder than the tomboys." (8)

At the end of their sophomore year, H.F. decides she needs to look up the mother who abandoned her 16 years before. She convinces Bo to take a road trip to Florida. The teens, who have never been out of the state, pool their resources, pile into Bo's old Ford Escort and head south. Along the way these two young explorers find a loving gay community, role models, friends and the potential for a positive life.

Watts' novels are always a treat. (Reading Wedding Bell Blues made this reader laugh out loud. So go read her other novels too!) Her humor and characterization together with her understanding and insightful depiction of life in the Southland allow us to laugh at life's ironies. Don't let the cover of Finding H.F put you off. It's illustrative of an epiphany for H.F early in the novel and sets the tone for her coming out.

-MJ

Mirrors

Marianne K. Martin
Bella Books
1931513023

Opening three years after the close of Dawn of the Dance, and set in a small city in Michigan, Mirrors focuses on secondary characters introduced in Dawn: high school teacher, Jean Carson and feminist attorney, Shayna Bradley. Mirrors is well written with realistic characters and depicts important, painful issues for gays and lesbians living in the more conservative regions of the country. Especially those with careers in public education. The novel opens with the new history teacher, Dan Sanders,being fired because the high school principal decided Sanders was gay. Sanders, we're told was not "obvious" nor had he behaved inappropriately to any of the students. Indeed he actually had students liking history. But teaching performance is not the issue. The principal doesn't want queers working for him. As in most of America there is no protection for gay teachers regarding discrimination in employment.

Jean is a thirty-something, physical education teacher. She has spent the last 12 years married to Ken and devoting her time and energy to her students. The latter has helped her avoid some realities about the former. Namely Ken's desire for children and Jean's reluctance for them. It turns out that Jean's avoidance of additional commitment to Ken is rooted in her ambivalence regarding her attractions toward women. This is especially true of her feelings for her best friend, Shayna. A relatively open lesbian attorney who specializes in assisting women in legal struggles, Shayna uses her work to avoid really committing to her girlfriend. Despite their years of perfecting defense mechanisms, neither woman is quite prepared for her feelings for the other. Feelings that grow as both disentangle themselves from dying romantic relationships.

Coming out is a process, not an event, and it's rarely easy. That's one of the themes of Mirrors. Indeed the book provides three reflections on coming out via Jean, Shayna and Lindy, a student at the high school where Jean teaches. Lindy has been struggling with her own sexuality and suffers the routinely harassing attention of several of the male jocks at the school. She will ultimately be attacked because her baby butch appearance threatens some of her classmates. It is Lindy's story that will force Jean to face her own closet, accept the gift of Shayna's love, and risk her job, in the hope of saving other young students.

Martin also provides a mirror for society to consider its role in protecting our young people from bigotry and hate (not to mention rearing them to express said hatred). Mirrors is not my favorite Martin novel; --I prefer her Clan of the Doe stories with Sage Bistro, et al.-- however it is a very good story that can not be told too often. Look into Mirrors, you will no doubt find yourself reflected there as well.

-MJ Lowe

The Sunne in Gold

Nene Adams
Shady Ladies Press
0970212704

Set in Erin during the time of the crusades. Lady Cathelin O'Cameron, known as the Blacksunne, armored herself as knight and followed Richard the Lionhearted (reigned 1189-1199) to the Holy Land. There Blacksunne gained a reputation as a fierce and blood thirsty warrior and suffered the loss of a lover in a cross cultural bit of sexism and homophobia. Like Richard, Blacksunne has returned home to find a relative -- in this case her cousin -- usurper has taken control of her home. She and her battle hardened allies turn out the villain with little difficulty. Although she makes the mistake of not killing him when she could . . ..

Among many appalling changes to her keep, Lady Cathelin discovers her cousin has installed a Moorish bed slave, literally chained to his bed. Blacksunne frees Madrigal, who reminds Blacksunne of her lost love in the Holy Land. It turns out Madrigal has suffered so much trauma and abuse in her short life, she doesn't begin to know how to trust or love.

This is Adams' first novel and there are some uneven elements. The primary plot device, that of a cross-dressing, battle leading, noble woman requires the readers' willingness to suspend disbelief. This reader is willing to accept a broad range of premises, if the story is told well. Sunne in Gold does not entirely succeed. Certainly there have always been women who cross-dressed to increase their opportunities in this world. Indeed until the required medical exams of the 20th Century, every war has known some hidden women soldiers as well as less hidden ones. If the likes of a Blacksunne did exist, she seems more likely to be of Irish or at least Celtic origins. However, pinning her to the late 12th Century makes Blacksunne less likely in that the sexism of the time had already limited most women's options.

Some issues of characterization are too complex for this story and even distract from it. Adams might have been better off simplifying some of Madrigal's post traumatic stress -- since it is applying a current psychological standard to a very different set of values, time and culture -- and finally, most annoying, there are several historical inaccuracies that become distracting because Adams emphasizes them.

For example Cathelin gives Madrigal a dress. This is an important, touching moment for Madrigal. The former slave is impressed with the quality of cloth and the buttons, describing them in detail. (Well, she should be impressed, since buttons didn't exist until the 1600s!)

Then there is the issue of language. We're told Madrigal learned English from a cruel English knight who brought her back from the Middle East. It's unclear why the knight spoke English (even Middle English) instead of Norman French -- which is much more likely, certainly that's what Richard and most of the royal court spoke after 1066 -- but he did and thus taught Madrigal the language. Supposedly that's why she could understand Lady Cathelin O'Cameron. It's possible that the Blacksunne would have spoken Norman French or Latin because of her status and yes, perhaps even Middle English. However, it seems her first language, and certainly the language of most subjects of her fealty would have been old Gaelic. Indeed some of the characters speak with a strong dialect which may be intended to present Gaelic, but succeeds mostly in being distracting. As with the buttons, because Adams makes a point of bringing these language issues to the readers'attention, the error is annoying.

Adams' action is very good, if occasionally predictable, and draws the reader into the story. If you are in the mood for old-fashioned tale of betrayal, villainy, and the triumph of good with a touch of lavender romance, Sunne in Gold is worth your while. Certainly as Adams' first novel, it shows promise. Her plotting is good. Her depiction of the deterioration of the evil villain is wonderfully weird. Hopefully her future work will be more careful with historical detail -- simply setting it in a fantasy alternative realm would have solved these problems nicely -- and some pieces of characterization.

-MJ Lowe

Facades

Alex Marcoux
Haworth Press
1560232048

Sidney Marcum, founder and president of Marcum Promotions, Inc., is a personal manager for musical groups and singers. For more than a decade she has specialized in taking unknown talent and making it a success. Anastasia, the beautiful, sensual, talented singer-songwriter, is struggling with her flagging professional career while attempting to balance her personal relationship with Stephanie and a life with the closet door open.

After a series of unfortunate publicity incidents, the singer approaches Sidney for management help to reclaim her superstar status. Sidney advises Anastasia to reenter the closet and create a straight public persona or "facade" to reconnect with her straight audience. The relationship these two women develop over the next two years is an interesting and cautious one. The publicity campaign that Sidney orchestrates for Anastasia's comeback is a fascinating story alone. Marcoux uses the "facade" analogy to represent both that constructed public entertainment persona as well as the face of a closeted lesbian. However, set primarily around 1993, with flashbacks to the early 1980s, Facades is more complicated than the thematic analogy implies.

Marcoux also deals with spousal abuse (heterosexual and lesbian), sexual assault, child custody issues for previously married lesbians like Sidney, blackmail and reincarnation. In addition to the above issues, Anastasia performs in Denver during the Boycott after Amendment 2. [An Amendment to the Colorado constitution that would disallow any municipal government to grant civil rights protection based on sexual orientation, which the US Supreme Court struck down.] She uses her concert as an opportunity to question the Religious Right and A2 supporters.

If it's starting to sound as though Marcoux is juggling a lot of themes in this book, you're right. While most of the story lines are tied up at the end, the reincarnation theme is never fully developed. It is hinted at throughout the novel and yet doesn't seem to fit. In fairness, many of the themes are interconnected. Overall this is a pleasantly readable novel with characters who draw the reader into the story. As a lesbian love story, Facades is rather chaste.

The characters and the writing make Facades a novel worth reading. Marcoux does not shy away from controversial issues, in the lesbian & gay community or the majority society. Actually it is that willingness to address sensitive socio/political issues around sexism, homophobia and violence that makes this a good a novel to loan to a straight friend. Facades is the first novel from Marcoux, a Colorado resident. Hopefully there will be future novels that allow Marcoux to pay more attention to tightening her plot lines.