In the City of Shy Hunters
by Tom Spanbauer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tom SpanbauerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-05-16
ISBN: 0802138985
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of In the City of Shy Hunters
Book Review: "The moment that after you're different"
Summary: 4 Stars
The "shy hunters" of the title in Tom Spanbauer's most recent novel are apparently those reluctant heroes among us who, once pushed to the fore, are capable of great feats of, if not heroism, then at least of affirmation. One such "hero," is Will Parker, who comes to New York from Idaho in 1983 in search of his friend, lover, and blood-brother, Charlie 2 Moons, whom he once betrayed in a moment of cowardice that has haunted him for two decades. He is destined to spend six years in New York, at a time of crisis that demands sacrifice, not just from Will, but from his assortment of colorful friends, including perhaps the most tragic, Roosevelt Washington King, a one-time English professor cum drag queen/performance artist (and close friend of Elizabeth Taylor), who, having contracted AIDS, plans to exit this world in a "lucid compulsion to act polemically." The action comes to a head for Will in a violent confrontation with an equestrian cop in Tompkins Square Park. By this time, Will has "found" Charlie 2 Moons, lost one lover to suicide and another to madness, and seen his world nearly emptied of friends by AIDS. This work represents a remarkable tight-rope walk for its author, as he veers between tragic realism and quotidian farce. But, whereas he accomplished this feat quite nimbly in "The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon," here he often wavers. Perhaps he identifies too closely with "Will of Heaven," who is described as either a "handsome Einstein or intelligent Tom Selleck." A glance at Spanbauer's picture on the back cover of my book reveals this as a spot-on description of the author himself, perhaps with a little Gene Shalit thrown in. Spanbauer contracted AIDS while writing this book, which is a labor of love, dedicated to those who "have passed through the Door of the Dead." If good intentions were enough, this would be a masterpiece. As it is, "The City of Shy Hunters" is less of a novel than a collection of brilliant set-pieces, many of which will haunt the reader forever. For all its talk of suicide and death, its ultimate message is a positive one ("a kind of ... joy"), which gives us hope that the "extra lovely" Mr. Spanbauer has a lifetime of writing left to do.
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