Eighty-Sixed

I read this on the beach in the previous decade, and, forgive me for saying this, but I remember the tear that dropped on the last page as I finished it. The author died young, but was best known for his wit, notwithstanding the unhappy subject of a man with HIV back in the day when people, for the most part, did not survive. Every gay man, and perhaps woman, should read this, as it explores stereotypes that we well understand: people we know who possess certain narcissitic qualities that, if explained by a heterosexual, might be deemed "incorrect." This book moves like the wind, and after reading it, I read the author's two other books - neither as good, but not bad. He had the gift of writing, one that is not bestowed democratically, and it is sad that he did not live past his thirties because he likely would have written another winner. I purchased this book based on the reviews on Amazon, and I hope that if you are looking or a fast-paced funny, important novel, that you do as well.

This book is sexy and fun until, oops AIDS comes along. Then it is sadness but not remorse. You are what you are. This does capture a type of gay lifestyle and gives a good impression of what that was like before the epidemic and after. There is not a lot of good writing describing or investigating the gay lifestyle because even now we still can't bring ourselves to talk about it. It would really be nice to live in a world where we could just be ourselves. This book is worth reading. It is interesting how much sex invades every part of our lives and how little it is even mentioned in books. How dishonest.

Valuable as a look into a particular world at a particular time. A jokey, rather adolescent style diminishes the book as literature (or good writing) but it is a living document of a specific time and a cultural moment.

I read this many years ago and was excited to find it again. Looking forward to reading it again.

Better than described.

I seem to be haunted by this novel, for myriad reasons, the main one of which is, it was quite good---and a little too accurate---a little too close to home.The book is divided into two parts: Pre AIDS slash 1980---a year in the protagonist's life, and during AIDS-1986.The first section of the book, I have to admit, I was not crazy about. As a matter of fact, I almost put it down, but I don't blame the author, rather the editor. While it was exremely amusing, there were many tired jokes ("Hey, I can see Uranus") and so on, and so on. A savy editor would have snipped these or suggested something more urbane. Other than that, I loved the book. But perhaps even these served a purpose. Read on.I hesitated to read this for many years because I don't remember it getting rave reviews when it came out--just the opposite. And naming the main character B.J. seemed a little too obvious. But Feinberg never really drills this in, and if you weren't forewarned, you might not even have noticed. Also, I thought at first that the writing was disjointed---turns out, the guy knew what he was doing and by the time I got to the end everything had fallen into place, and quite well.Where this book really started to take shape for me was in the second half. While much more serious, without the cloying sarcasm et al, I began to "get" the first half. Okay, it was supposed to represent the early 80s, before AIDS, with its carefree attitude toward everything and the superficiality that the early part of the decade reeked of. So that made sense. I'm saying this for those who read the first half and think the entire book is going to be this way. It's this way for a reason: to contrast 1986 and the AIDS epidemic with pre-AIDS and "Boy I wish I'd known what was coming," style that Feinberg demonstrates.In addition to the two sections of the book, Feinberg contrasts other ideas. Take the "Going home for Thanksgiving" visit with all its banality and idiocy (on the part of the family, not the author), and contrast this with having to "detox" the minute the main character steps foot back in Manhattan, trying to find sex as quickly as possible. The Thanksgiving scene is mundane and boring for a reason---again, contrast. And it provides another dimension into B.J. and is family--where he came from--what he ran away from. And for good reason.But the most remarkable element of this novel is that it is an almost perfect capsule of a time and place we will never see nor experience again--Pre AIDS in New York City. For this reason alone the book could stand on its own merits. Feinberg is a master observer and recorder, with a sharp wit and sharp tongue. He nails stereotypes and others right on the head and paints a not always flattering (but accurate) portrait of the gay community, complete with all its problems, caring, and even hatefulness. He names places (restaurants, bars, clubs) that no longer exist and many of the new generation may wonder what,where, and who he is talking about. These bars and clubs, along with the lifestyle they encouraged, are gone.I was reminded of one other book that so captured the time and place of New York, and that was "Dancer From the Dance," with its accurate portraits of gay life before the plague.I higly recommend this book. I'll be reading the follow-up, "Spontaneous Combustion" as soon as it arrives. One did get the feeling, which I'm sure was on purpose, that the end of "Eighty-Sixed" was not the end. And it's not.

B.J. (the narrator) takes the reader through two years of his life as a gay man living in NYC. Through his tales of tricks, bath houses & disco left-overs in 1980, I admit I found myself alternately blushing & then worrying about his future (fully knowing what the news would bring in the coming years). I found myself near tears in the description of the horrors 1986 would bring this character. Having watched someone die of AIDS, I was deeply impressed by the calibur of Feinberg's vivid detail. It was in so many ways more graphic than the sex scenes in the first half of the book.That being said I think the characters were lacking. I liked B.J., but I wanted more from him. Even though written from his point of view, I felt like there were parts of him I didn't know, integral parts for a main character. The most interesting character by far, Dennis, seemed to drift away by the second half of the book for a cast of characters that were dull and all too similar to one another. I found myself continuing to read on, only to find out who would fall victim to AIDS next, not because I liked or really cared about any of the individuals introduced to me. But I guess this is more a novel about a sense of place and time.

Amazing

I read this when it was originally published but to read it again 25 years later is a different experience. It stirs up memories that time had tucked away of the horror that was the 80's. But also the wonderful, fun memories. If you are not of an age that experienced the beginning years of the plague than this a must read.