Entertainment :: Books
The Haunted Heart and Other Tales by Christopher Verleger
EDGE ContributorWednesday Oct 14, 2009 Novelist and storyteller Jameson Currier, most widely known for chronicling the lives of gay men during the onslaught of AIDS in his novel Where the Rainbow Ends as well as in three short story collections, most recently Still Dancing: New and Selected Stories, explores the paranormal and supernatural with his latest compilation, The Haunted Heart and Other Tales.
The author was inspired by thriller and suspense anthologies he first read as a youngster, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Currier has crafted these stories, centered on homosexual men or women, in both historical and contemporary settings. While Currier is certainly not the first author to introduce the otherworldly to gay literature, what makes this series unique is that the sexual orientation of these characters is not necessarily germaine to each story.
Highlights include "The Country House," an especially entertaining and romantic tale about a vacation home that is haunted by the ghosts of two men shot to death by a jealous wife who found them in a compromising position, and "The Haunted Heart," a saddening, yet affirming, story about a spirit, Raymond, who decides to leave the Provincetown inn where he once lived to follow the lives of two newly acquainted men, Wade and Josh.
The undead aside, the living characters’ predicaments are often a profound statement of how far we’ve come, or rather how gay men and women face the same challenges or obstacles in a given situation as would their heterosexual counterparts.
"The Woman in the Window" is an eerie story about a couple, Tom and Allan, and their concern over their children’s safety. "The Incident at the Highlands Inn" profiles the tragic account of a young waiter, Joey, and his stalking ex-boyfriend, Steve. "The After Party" takes place at a circuit party and is a grim reminder of what can happen, and how little of it we remember, when we lose control under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
The weakest entries of the collection are "Death In Amsterdam," a failed attempt to blend political unrest and violence against gays with the supernatural, and the tumultuous relationship, portrayed between a mental patient and his physician in "The Vision," is just too hard to swallow.
Despite some of the unconventional and arguably outlandish content, Currier’s writing is flawless and his knack for conveying emotion, with both the spoken words and thoughts of his characters, is unparalleled. Fans of the author have come to expect that his work isn’t exactly light or escapist, which makes it all the more affecting.
by Jameson Currier
Chris Verleger is an avid reader, aspiring novelist and self-professed theater geek from Providence.
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