"Someday, when they look back and write about these times, I will be able to say that I was here. I danced every dance and knew the words to every song."
"A love story, a murder mystery, a soap opera, an inquisitive exposition of contemporary queer culture - Where the Boys Are is all that, a hugely entertaining novel and at the same time a serious, spiritually rich read. Mann has done a fine job of crafting a stand-alone book, driven in part by the Peter Pan appeal and exhilarating dance beat of the circuit party world. But this inventive tale - thoughtful about grief and survival, bare-backing and body image, clinging to youth and finally growing up - is best read as the sequel to The Men from the Boys. That gay bestseller introduced the bumpy romance of Jeff and Lloyd, who were devastated at the end by the AIDS death of their older mentor. This sequel reignites their old passions - but not before author Mann pairs Jeff with a bewitching young innocent with a shrouded past somehow linked to a murder, and Lloyd with one of the most memorably dislikable and deranged characters in gay fiction." Richard Labonte -- Books to Watch Out For
Review
William Mann's follow-up to his best-selling The Men from the Boys is a completely addictive and compelling read - this writer couldn't put the book down. Told from the differing points of view of three gay men, the story weaves a tale of men in search of a community - whether it's at a circuit party or in Provincetown, Mann explores the family that gay men create in their lives. Jeff O'Brien and Lloyd are grieving the death of their mentor/lover Javitz. Jeff is blocking his grief by partying on the circuit party scene. Lloyd is exploring a more spiritual path to work through his grief. Jeff has picked up a sister/protege, Henry Weiner who has he brought on the circuit with him. These three men tell us of their lives and loves, bringing us into their emotional and dramatic circle with as much intimacy as a novel can deliver. It is not necessary to have read the first book, Where the Boys Are stands completely on its own.
Jeff's "sister" is Henry Weiner, who has a point of view all his own here. Jeff and Henry are on the circuit now. They travel quite a few times during the year to the many circuit party events. From the White Party in Palm Springs to Montreal, these boys get around in search of a great party. The question is, what are these guys searching for? Is it merely to get high and listen to great tunes? Or is it more significantly a search for family that might be missing in their lives. Mann poses the answer that it's both. Some guys like Brent just want to get fucked-up and forget, some like Shane come to make friends and establish new connections in life. Some like Anthony come to circuit parties to get lost or maybe to create a new person from the old. Off the dance floor, most of the book is set in Provincetown at a B&B called Nirvana, started by Lloyd and his new friend, the new-agey, fag-hag friend Eva. We don't don't want to give away any of the drama or romance here, there's plenty, be assured of this. There's prostitution, new-age happenings, many indiscretions and a mystery hovering over the brew.
Will Jeff and Lloyd re-connect? Will Lloyd and Eva succeed with their B&B? Will Henry ever confess his love for Jeff? Will Shane ever confess his love for Henry? Will Jeff ever figure out who the mysterious Anthony actually is? You'll have to read this compelling novel to find the answers to these questions and more.
Scott Cranin
Publisher Information:
Jeff and his on-again, off-again lover Lloyd Griffith are both still grieving the death of their mentor, Javitz. Jeff bounces from party to party, finding it easy to forget his grief when he's on the dance floor, immersed in a sea of beautiful boys with sculpted pecs and speed bumps for abs. With him at all times is his protégé, best friend, sister, and not-so-secret admirer Henry Weiner, once a ninety-eight pound weakling who, in his late twenties, has blossomed into a hunky muscle-boy escort. Meanwhile, Lloyd deals with his own grief by rejecting the sex-and-drugs culture and buying a guest house in Provincetown with an eccentric widow named Eva Horner.
As the lives of Jeff, Lloyd, and Henry intertwine, each faces his own mystery. Henry's repressed feelings of love for Jeff propel him on a fascinating quest to discover his own identity amid the often seedy world of sex for cash. Lloyd experiences the dark side of the "fag hag" experience when Eva exhibits increasingly bizarre behavior. As petite as the Bride of Chucky, she might possibly be just as deranged. But the most intriguing mystery of all involves the beautiful, mysterious stranger Jeff meets on the dance floor at yet another circuit party and invites to move in. Anthony Sabe is a young man seemingly without a past, whose bright-eyed ingenuousness at first charms everyone, but later raises suspicions. Jeff, once an investigative journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Anthony. What he finds is progressively more disturbing, raising questions not only about Anthony but also about himself.
Mann, William J. “Where the Boys Are”, Kensington Books, 2003.
Looking at Our Lives
Amos Lassen
William J. Mann has written some wonderful books and I have been a fan for a long time. Last year his biography of Katherine Hepburn wowed readers and this year’s “Men Who Love Men” is doing much of the same. Actually “Men” is part of a trilogy beginning with “The Men from the Boys’. The second is “Where the Boys Are” and it is incredible. Mann portrays gay men—their loves, their tribulations, and their mysteries. At the center are two men and their circle of friends and we read about the struggles they go through to find connections in one year of their lives. Mann peeks into the life of gay America and looks at hopes and dreams. He gives us gay society in a microcosm and he shows us that the feelings that all of us have are not unique.
Mann wrote in the first person through the eyes of three of his characters—Jeff, Henry and Lloyd who, although fictional, are probably based upon people he has already known. Each character manages to fill in the gaps missing in the others as each give different spins on the same event. What we get is a novel that is both readable and one we are able to relate to as it compels us into affirming our place on earth. The complexities of urban gay life are all presented here in a way that stereotypes lose their places and are replaced by multi-dimensional characters filled with humanity.
It helps to have read the prequel, “The Men from the Boys” because the characters are the same, but it is not absolutely necessary in order to enjoy the book. The main characters compel us to keep reading and Mann’s insights into gay culture are amazing. He shows how we grow and mature and he describes accurately the hardships involved in maintaining communication which is so necessary to build stable relationships.
Reading the book is a trip down memory road. The way he looks at our lives as we pass from the stage of idealistic youth to aging, the drug culture and our relationships is very real and very familiar. To see my life through the eyes of someone else is strange but it offered a perspective that made me enjoy every word written. I looked at my past and my present and came to terms with issues that I had never confronted before or simply did not want to. The book also made me realize how important my chosen “family” is to me.
Mann’s eye on a culture that is set upon escaping reality is right on the button. He has developed his voice and writing style and he speaks directly to us. His issues transcend sexuality and give us a sense of connection. The characters, like us, are not perfect. Their flaws are our flaws and the book is about real life.
“Where the Boys Are” is a poignant look at true love and of both the external and internal forces that try to separate us. The story is powerful as it hits home and gives us a look at the universal theme of the quest for love and understanding.
