Review: ... do with a gay romance novel in which the best character is a four-year-old
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2014
What do you do with a gay romance novel in which the best character is a four-year-old?Give it five stars, that’s what.John Inman is one of my favorite writers, and this gentle story about love transcending death is surely one of his best. “Spirit” made me think a good deal of F.E. Feeley, Jr.’s “Objects in a Rear View Mirror.”  Both are heartfelt, realistic, genuinely scary ghost stories that focus on a young gay couple in what should be their dream house.Except, as I noted above, for the four-year-old. Timmy, who is left with his uncle Jason for the first time while his mother takes a month-long vacation with her boyfriend, is a remarkable character. Inman captures the reality of a smart pre-schooler, infusing him with the kind of innocent joy—as well as the mischief—that insures that the reader will fall in love with him.When another uncle—Sam—appears to further disrupt Jason’s slightly off-kilter world, the light-hearted comic tone of the book shifts slightly into one of romance. But a third shift takes the book down a darker road. While light of touch, Inman manages to ratchet up the anxiety in subtle increments, never losing the comedic overtones that keep the book from getting too dark.Inman’s writing is very good. He makes Jason and Sam palpably real, and shows us the kind of men they are, through their words and their actions. But the surprise treasure in this book is Timmy. I can’t remember when a child character mattered so much to me.Inman has earned his five stars with “Spirit.”