Eighty-Sixed
by David B. Feinberg
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Book Summary Information
Author: David B. FeinbergEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-12
ISBN: 0802139027
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of Eighty-Sixed
Book Review: Generous
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of Eighty-Sixed
In 1980, B. J. Rosenthal's only mission is to find himself a boyfriend and avoid setbacks like bad haircuts, bad sex, and Jewish guilt. In post-AIDS 1986, B.J.'s world has changed dramatically -- his friends and lovers are getting sick, everyone is at risk, and B.J. is panicking. Parrying high-wire wit against unbearable human tragedy, Eighty-Sixed now stands as a testament to an era. "If Woody Allen were gay and wrote novels, he'd produce something like David Feinberg's Eighty-Sixed." -- David Streitfeld, The Washington Post Book World "[Feinberg] has given us a painful story of one man coming of age in a terrifying age." -- The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) "Entertaining, harrowing, and powerfully unsensational." -- Booklist "[Eighty-Sixed] stands out for its frankness, ferocious wit, and total lack of sentimentality or self pity." -- Catherine Texier, The New York Times Book Review
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