Review: Positive resistance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
Another tale of good-looking men in gyms, the modern way to meet men. Steven has moved back to the Pennsylvania town he left fifteen years previously, when he was a chubby insecure kid. He tries out the local gym and is astonished to find his school nemesis Lane behind the desk, who doesn't recognise him; Steven now goes by his middle name. After meeting some friendly locals Steven tells Lane who he is, and Lane confesses that back then he was hiding the fact of being gay and jeered at others to take attention from himself.Steven works for a software firm and his transfer to Pennsylvania brings him near to his parents again. They stopped returning his calls ten years ago. Steven's father is a preacher who cannot cope with having raised a boy who was gay. But Steven brings another problem, from his personal life, and he wishes that he didn't find the new kinder Lane so attractive.Modern relationships bring modern dilemmas and in POSITIVE RESISTANCE we meet interesting people, and in various situations we get to ask ourselves, how would we react? We also get an interesting take on intense sports training. A physical therapist says that coaches work kids for as much as their bodies can take, then the coaches drop them and move on to the next kid, leaving college-age young people with permanent muscle and joint injuries.Andrew Grey writes kindly of men with image problems or facing rejection due to their sexuality or health, and in this short romantic novel we come to understand some of the issues facing the gay community today. This carries a positive message for the wider community, refusing to excuse or demonise anyone - except those who harden their hearts. If I was either gay or into gyms and weights I'd probably give it a much higher rating.