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Born to a middle-class Midwest family in 1941, Mickey, the narrator of this homosexual odyssey, has a comfortable but uncertain childhood: Sexual confusion crept in at an early age. Fueled by an excess of Old Crow at 17, this latter-day Huck Finn sets off down the Mississippi to find the world, but discovers instead an 18-year-old black man–it seemed the world was written all over him, and he fairly glowed with it. Their blissful New Orleans affair ends with Mickey’s infidelity. After a failed attempt at reconciliation he gives up–a bit too easily, it seems–and follows the fabled Rte. 66 to the soft green lap of California. In that 1960 sexual wonderland, he leads a life of determined profligacy that includes a disastrous brush with acting. The early, atmospheric passages of this Life are replete with dreamy, lyrical descriptions and details that deftly flesh out a slim tale. Unfortunately, as the narrative progresses, so does the author’s overwriting. Later scenes are marred by unlikely events and florid descriptions; the ending seems both excessive and abrupt. Though ultimately there may be insufficient material here for a novel, lush passages and a strong romantic sensibility are evidence of a talent cut tragically short–Grumley died of AIDS in March, 1988.

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