Book Reviews

Will Barnett is only 14 years old when his Mother's brother Sean (UNCLE SEAN) comes to stay with Will's family after returning from Viet Nam. Will is instantly smitten with his beautiful Uncle. Sean, who is dealing with the murder by "friendly fire" of his army lover, eventually recognizes Will's infatuation and tries to distance himself from it, but he sees the truth inside the boy and eventually begins to become emotionally attached. Through the course of the first book the reader experiences Will's growing love for his Uncle, as well as his Uncles attempts to teach Will, the beauty of what he is feeling as well as the impossibility of the two of them ever becoming "boyfriends". Frightened by the magnitude of his feelings for the boy, Sean eventually moves on, but not before he impresses upon Will, the importance of finding the right person to share his love with.

A few years pass and Will meets Lance, a frightened abused boy, in the desert. Lance's family has recently moved to the area from New Orleans and Lance has run away after a sever beating by his Stepfather. It's near love at first sight for the two teenage boys, and Will realizes the importance of his Uncle's lesson about waiting for the right person to love. Will's parents take in the battered boy, even though Will's father passes on soon after. Lance joins Will (LANCE) at the local high school where eventually their relationship is discovered. Both boys learn quickly about what to expect from the world where their relationship is concerned, but their passion holds strong.

Eventually the boys finish school, the family sells the farm and Lance, a very talented artist, accepts a scholarship to art school in San Francisco while Will takes a scholarship to U.T., and goes to live with his Uncle Sean in Austin. (ALL OVER HIM) Can their love and commitment survive this major separation, especially in light of the burgeoning gay scene in Austin and San Francisco? Can Will, help his Uncle to finally move on from his devastating loss? Or will Lance and Will's relationship fall victim to the new Gay Revolution?

I was mesmerized by how accurately Donaghe describes the times and places in these books. Without a lot of hoopla the reader is given a very important history lesson. When Will briefly describes reading THE FRONT RUNNER, it gave me chills. Reading THE FRONT RUNNER was the catalyst that made me come out 1974. I lived these times Donaghe writes about and felt these feelings he so wonderfully describes. I am forever in his debt for this love story.

Perhaps it is because I am the same age as Will or because I live in the same part of the country but I feel a bond to this story and its characters that I find difficult to adequately describe. I think more than anything it is the fundamental truth that runs through the books that makes them so special. In HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON, Ethan Mordden describes the characters of Walt and Blue as that extremely rare thing, a perfect fit. He could easily have been writing about Will and Lance. In relaying their story, Donaghe, provides hope for all the rest of us, especially our younger brothers who are just beginning their challenging gay lives. Donaghe's books speak to the magic of love, the desire to find the right guy, and be one. All the claims that gay men want a lifestyle different than what straight people have, all the assumptions that men are promiscuous by nature, are nothing more than misguided, weak attempts to erase this magic. Through the course of these novels Donaghe holds tight to these ideals, and it resonates on every page.

The story begins when Will is 14 years old and gets an idea to keep a journal. Will is compelled to write down his feelings when his Uncle Sean comes to live with his family after being discharged from the army. Will falls in love with his uncle the moment he lays eyes on him. He thinks Uncle Sean is "pretty" and he longs to kiss his lips. Loving Uncle Sean stirs up emotions and desires Will didn't know he possessed. He is na�ve and totally unaware there could be any danger in loving, not only another boy, but a man, who also happens to be his uncle.

Will and Sean form a special bond. Sean tries to impart words of wisdom about love and what it means to be gay. He also impresses upon Will the importance of saving himself for the one he loves and not having sex with the first boy he meets. Innocently, Will doesn't understand why he and Sean can`t be boyfriends, so Sean leaves Will with some pearls of wisdom that he will only understand once he matures. The physical attraction between uncle and nephew is so palpable you feel sure Sean will inappropriately give Will what he so desperately wants. The fact that Sean understands his nephew's feelings and doesn't take advantage of him reaffirms our faith in morality and decency.

Unfortunately, Will's parents are afraid of Sean's influence on their son and question the nature of their relationship since they suspect Sean is gay. So, what is a totally innocent and healthy relationship between the two is misconstrued by Will's parents to be something perverse. The tension between Sean and Will's father causes Sean to move away much to Will's dismay further adding to the boy's loneliness.

When Will meets Lance, a troubled boy close to his own age, he falls in love. When you finish the last page of "Uncle Sean" you better have "Lance", the sequel, handy because you won't be able to wait to find out what happens to Will, Lance, Sean and the rest of the family.

Ronald L. Donaghe enriches this story with beautiful descriptions of the southern New Mexican landscape, the intricacies of family life, and the workings of a farm. The dialect in the beginning of the book, as the younger Will writes, sets the mood and makes Will more real. You get to watch him grow, fall in love, deal with loss, and take up life's responsibilities.

I enjoyed this book for its honesty, intensity of feelings and the raw emotions it provokes in all of us as we relive our own experiences with our first crush while dealing with raging hormones and mixed up feelings. Donaghe is a talented writer and a great storyteller. "Uncle Sean" keeps you engrossed from beginning to end. Read it and you will see what I mean.