Very funny! I loved this mini soap opera type story. Can't wait to read more about the neighbors on the street. Steve and his new job cracked me up. Melinda and her self-discovery made me smile. Nanna and her shenanigans made me laugh. Rick and James were totally cute. Terrence and his daddy skills made me chuckle. Great book. ( )

In suburbia, the residents of Jasper Lane seem to live rather idillic lives with immaculate gardens, barbecues, chats over the fence and jogging. But, beneath the shiny neighborly halos lurk much more delicious goings on and some less than sterling behavior.

The initial chapters unfold around the image of a young man jogging down the street, with each residents experience of this leading the reader through the intricate, entwined lives of the people who live on Jasper Lane. The author has a smart, astute and engaging style. Even the obnoxious Melinda Gold and her dreadful mother had a certain charm! The sly wit and humor definitely had me sniggering and banned from reading it in bed. hehe.

The romance between Rick and James, while not the novels sole focus, was sweet. I loved Ricks kindness. He was so appealing and had me quietly cheering him on as he learned to take a few risks in life with James, who is not out to his friends and family. Even though Rick could have given it all away at times, he doesn’t and I kinda liked his courage. He’s had such an incredibly raw deal that his ability to let himself be open to that kind of pain was beautiful and subtly written.

The cast of secondary characters are myriad, but the other one who stood out was Melinda strangely enough. She’s so uptight and a total prig. The book leaves you just dying to know what will happen if she finally looses it. I feel so wrong about the glee in that statement, but it was so true. hehe.

From pool parties to porn parties, hot bodies to dead bodies and weird old ladies sneaking looks through the neighbors window; this is a wonderfully vivid, romantic and entertaining read, with much heart and a rather perceptive eye.
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/subsurdity-vignettes-from-jasper-lane-by... ( )

Jasper Lane is a well-off neighborhood, not much different in appearance than most, with a tree-lined drive, manicured lawns, and crystal clear ponds. But underneath the pleasantry, a completely different world lurks. I would say this is a Gay Desperate housewives ,at times, both funny and touching. I feel the author was heavly influenced by "Tale of the City", but he does have his own style. We are on the outside, allowed to peer into the various lives on Jasper Lane. This is a heady mixture of laughs, witty writing , some characters you really want to love and a whole lot of heart.

Cassie Bloom, the grand dame of Jasper Lane, has a missing son and husband and throws gay porn parties that are the social events of the year. Her best friend, a transsexual named Vera, owns a nightclub. Melinda Gold is the resident religious fanatic whose views clash with that of her son Patrick. And her crazy, gassy Mother is the devil in a walker. Sandy and Steve Jones are the stereotypical all-American couple (except Steve acts in gay-for-pay porn unbeknownst to his pregnant wife).

Rick Cooper just moved in, and despite his qualms about another relationship (having literally lost an eye in the previous one), he falls for ex-soldier, James. And David and Cliff are the most “normal” couple on the block... never mind that David helped Cassie with some past nefarious deed and that Cliff is the biggest gay porn star in the biz. Throw a dog named Gayhound and a dead body into the mix, and Jasper Lane may just be the gayest neighborhood in town!
A wonderfully entertaining book and I can't wait to jump into the Sequel. ( )

In suburbia, the residents of Jasper Lane seem to live rather idillic lives with immaculate gardens, barbecues, chats over the fence and jogging. But, beneath the shiny neighborly halos lurk much more delicious goings on and some less than sterling behavior.

The initial chapters unfold around the image of a young man jogging down the street, with each residents experience of this leading the reader through the intricate, entwined lives of the people who live on Jasper Lane. The author has a smart, astute and engaging style. Even the obnoxious Melinda Gold and her dreadful mother had a certain charm! The sly wit and humor definitely had me sniggering and banned from reading it in bed. hehe.

The romance between Rick and James, while not the novels sole focus, was sweet. I loved Ricks kindness. He was so appealing and had me quietly cheering him on as he learned to take a few risks in life with James, who is not out to his friends and family. Even though Rick could have given it all away at times, he doesn’t and I kinda liked his courage. He’s had such an incredibly raw deal that his ability to let himself be open to that kind of pain was beautiful and subtly written.

The cast of secondary characters are myriad, but the other one who stood out was Melinda strangely enough. She’s so uptight and a total prig. The book leaves you just dying to know what will happen if she finally looses it. I feel so wrong about the glee in that statement, but it was so true. hehe.

From pool parties to porn parties, hot bodies to dead bodies and weird old ladies sneaking looks through the neighbors window; this is a wonderfully vivid, romantic and entertaining read, with much heart and a rather perceptive eye.
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/subsurdity-vignettes-from-jasper-lane-by... ( )

Jasper Lane is a middle-class wealthy neighborhood. At first it appears like the neighborhood from the '50's american fiction, with pretty wifes who bake cakes, handsome husbands who trim the grass and All American teenagers who ride a bike and help the elders to cross the street.

But Jasper Lane is not your classical neighborhood and behind the doors, but above all, in the front lawns all type of events take place.

And so here you meet Melinda, a forty something housewife, with an husband you never see and a bithcy mother who lives with her. And since she married so young to escape her mother clutches, to be again under that holds is an hell. And then she worries for her son, that like all teenagers, is in that phase when he no more speaks with her and he always try to hide things and above all thoughts.

Meet Rick, a sweet guy who is just out from an abusive relationship with a gambling man, a man who not only has spent all his money, but also has put Rick in a dangerous situation which ended with Rick loosing an eye. So now he is moving in with his friend David, who offers him a shelter for all the time he needs.

Meet Terrence, the epithome of flamboyant queer guy, with a love for antiquites and for expensive clothes. Also Terrence lives in the impromptu gay's shelter of David's house and he thinks to have an happy and careless life. But then he receives the 'phone': the only girl whom he slept years ago told him he has a son, Christian, a sixteen years old guy who now wants to meet his father. And so we witness to Terrence who tries to change himself in the role of the perfect father, with pipe and sport newspaper in hand.

Meet David, a free-lance journalist in health and fit matters, and his lover Cliff, a huge bodybuilder with a side career in gay porn industry, who likes to be the bottom of the couple: don't miss them dressed as husband and wife, with Cliff in white tulle.

Meet James, a former army man, new in the neighborhood having inherited his uncle's old big house, who wants to meet Rick, but doesn't know how, above all since he is not out of the closet, nor with friend or family.

Meet Cassie, the wealthier lady of the neighborhood, who lives in the biggest house with a drag queen as lady in waiting.

Meet Steve and Sandy, the most perfect couple of the neighborhood, perfectly in love and perfectly pretty, who risk to fall apart when Steve looses his job and decides to accept to filming gay porn movie to avoid telling his wife that they are out of money.

Have you have an idea on how much absurd is this book? and how much in its absurdity it's genial? I was laughing like a nut for all the book, there are some funny scenes, and I continued to imagine all these scenes with fluorescent colours, pink, yellow, green, all vivid and brigh, happy and strong. It's like a Baz Luhrman's movies, one of his first, like Ballroom: all the characters have their colours, and they are so alive.

SubSurdity is another stunning book I will read often, and it's even better than Slight Details & Random Events, which was very good. I will continue to follow Eric Arvin's career since I think he will gift us with other wonderful stories.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MBD64W/?tag=elimyrevandra-20