The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 26 June 2008
by Armistead Maupin
In the fifth book in the Tales of the City series, we are down deep into the 1980s, a time in San Francisco very different in its urban psyche than the freewheeling 1970s. AIDS has by now cut a wide swath through the gay community, and its effects have been felt very close to home at 28 Barbary Lane. Michael Tolliver's lover Jon is gone, and there is an overall tone that the party of the 70s is really over. There is the fact, too, which was still new at the time, of AIDS appearing more in the straight community. Maupin brings that message to life when Brian Hawkins hooks up with a woman with the disease and spends the rest of the book worrying about his own health. The author was reacting to the shifts of his time, and that is one of the most compelling aspects of the Tales of the City books. They feel authentic and immediate in a way a reflective and consciously nostalgic novel wouldn't. Michael takes Brian away from his cares, on a trip to a cabin near the Russian River. He also takes along Thack, a nice man he met at, of all places, Alcatraz Island. There is romance in the air, for Michael. Meanwhile, a plus-sized supermodel, after being interviewed by Mary Ann Singleton on her TV show, is lured also to the Russian River, to play relief for DeDe Halcyon's stepfather on his trip to the Bohemian Grove for their annual encampment. DeDe and D'or are at Wimminwood, an all-woman festival downstream from the Grove. Sound complicated? In each of his books, Maupin has focussed on a subset of his sprawling cast of characters. Here, Mary Ann barely makes an appearance, though she and Brian are now living in a palatial condo in a tower overlooking Barbary Lane. Mona Ramsey, too, is out of the picture. But DeDe and D'or, Michael and Brian, and even the kids Anna and Edgar, have their time on the page. DeDe's stepfather Booter is a bit of a clod, building parts for the Star Wars missile defense shield. His experience at Bohemian Grove is both sad and pathetic. Wimminwood is an hilarious take on festivals of its kind, and Maupin skewers cultural icons and trends in an engaging and ultimately compassionate way. The book may have less of a nostalgic edge, now that the story is more of the Reagan and early AIDS years. But it is steeped in its time. Another in a series of deeply engaging books.
Also by Maupin: [Tales of the City]
[More Tales of the City]
[Further Tales of the City]
[Babycakes]
[Sure of You]
[Michael Tolliver Lives]
[Mary Ann in Autumn]
See also: [Armistead Maupin by Patrick Gale]