Dwight Cathcart

I found this book in a used bookstore and am so grateful that I did! The story begins with an anti-gay hate crime; several youths attack and then throw a young man off a bridge. It is based upon the real-life murder of Charlie Howard in Bangor, Maine in 1984. But the book is not about the murder (that occurs in the prologue to the book). It is really about how the community, primarily the gay community of Cardiff, is affected by and copes with the crime.

Cathcart does an amazing job getting each of the character's voices just right. I truly felt like I knew each of these characters, from the young gay man who reluctantly comes out publicly despite what the costs are for him to the older lesbian who has shut herself off from love years before after a lover leaves her following her own encounter with the police when she was a victim of a violent crime. The characters run the gamut of ages, openness, relationship status, and yet Cathcart makes each one real to the reader.

This book could be a primer on what it was like to be gay in the late 70's and early 80's. I found myself nodding my head in agreement and reading passages to my partner throughout the book. It wrestles not only with questions about sexuality but what makes a community.

I wanted to savor the book and I found myself not wanting it to end. I would love for Cathcart to do a sequel because I would love to know where these characters are 20+ years later. The author genuinely made me care about them and their lives; they stick with you after finishing the novel. Thankfully, I've learned that Cathcart has written two more novels based on historical events within the LGBT community, and I can't wait to read them now as well. I truly hope this book finds a larger audience; it deserves it!… (mehr)