Gay tourists are arriving in San Francisco by the planeload for the party of the decade at the Moscone Center, a tribute to a late disco star. On the same night as the dance festival, a infamous evangelist plans to bring his nationwide crusade against gay rights to the Civic Auditorium a few blocks away. Tim Snow finds himself caught in the middle when his activist friends plan a protest. For Tim, the fun-and the intrigue-are about to begin. Beach Reading is equal parts mystery and romantic comedy set in romantic San Francisco with a taste for adventure, a touch of magic.
Review
In Mark Abramson's Beach Reading, the time is now, but the feeling is the 1980’s. Our main character is a young gay man in his mid-twenties, one Tim Snow, a well-liked and warm-hearted guy. Having just broken up with his boyfriend/coworker, and depressed over the breakup, Tim searches feverishly for love.
From the Financial District to the Transamerica Pyramid, from the Embarcadero Center to the Castro district bars, San Francisco is full of life. As the bustling city waits for yet another morning fog to gently burn off, we see a biplane carry a huge banner advertising a dance (a tribute to Sylvester’s birthday) at the Moscone Center – and behind the plane a helicopter with a huge mirrored ball hanging from it. Meanwhile, an anti-gay protest is set to take place on the same day, while our characters are waking up from their own fogs, a few not insubstantial hangovers! The reader can feel the tension build as events lead to the day of the big party.
One of the compelling features of this book is, simply, the city and people of San Francisco; that is, the city itself plays a big part in the story – its beautiful landmarks, seesaw world of hills and valleys, lush green parks, corner bars and charming sidewalk cafes and restaurants. There’s music and laughter; heck, you can practically taste the salt on the rims of the margaritas our characters blend one morning.
Ultimately, the author lets the reader in on the fact that Tim Snow is HIV positive and takes all of the typical, well-known medications for his illness, though, oddly, he doesn’t talk about doctors the character goes to, or any accompanying medical visits. When Tim does meet up with guys, typically for sex, he never brings-up that he’s HIV positive, or, frankly, that condom use would be appropriate and safe. Do we, the readers, assume that his partners are HIV positive or that they’ve had safe sex? Since the sex scene wasn’t particularly explicit, the reader is left to wonder about issues of “responsibility” and “trust” as they relate to the practice of safe sex.
Overall, though, I liked the book very much; it was a fun, even brisk read. The characters are pleasing – and they inhabit a visually gratifying and memorable world.
