Review: Almost Like Being in Love

Self-described 'author, Red Sox fan and uncle' Steve Kluger has written several novels, none of which I'd read previously before picking up Almost Like Being in Love in Readings Carlton a couple of weeks ago. It was a spur of the moment purchase; I had a $50 gift voucher in my pocket, and after picking up the DVD release of Shortbus, still had some $20 left to spend.

Browsing the various shelves and categories, I briefly considered a deluxe hardcover edition of the first 15 or so issues of Neil Gaiman's classic comic book series The Sandman but soon gave that up as a bad idea when I considered its price (over $200, in case you were wondering).

Shelved immediately above the graphic novels at Readings was the queer fiction section, and it was here, on a whim, that I picked up Almost Like Being in Love.

The back cover blurb read:

A high school jock and nerd fall in love senior year, only to part after an amazing summer of discovery to attend their respective colleges. They keep in touch at first, but then slowly drift apart.

Flash forward twenty years.

Travis and Craig both have great lives, careers, and loves. But something is missing.... Travis is the first to figure it out. He's still in love with Craig, and come what may, he's going after the boy who captured his heart, even if it means forsaking his job, making a fool of himself, and entering the great unknown. Told in narrative, letters, checklists, and more, this is the must-read novel for anyone who's wondered what ever happened to that first great love.

Ok, I thought, vaguely interested, sounds cute, and hell, quite frankly I could use a bit of romance in my life right now, even if only vicariously. I opened the book and started reading the first few paragraphs, something that I regularly do before I buy something in order to get a sense of the writer's style.

Then I kept reading. After 12 pages I decided this was the book for me.

Written as a series of diary entries, emails, memos and letters, Almost Like Being in Love is light, engaging, often laugh-out-loud hilarious (just ask Mike, who was home the other night when I kept cackling) and also moving. At several points as I was reading I had tears in my eyes, or drying on my cheeks as I chortled.

The first section of the book establishes the boys' deepening friendship which swiftly turns into a passionate but discrete first love:-

Craig McKenna
Berkley School
Room 311
Tarrytown, New York

When he gets nervous his voice squeaks. It isn’t funny but it makes me grin just the same. He has three different laughs that I’ve almost got a lock on. Number 1 and Number 2 were no-brainers, but I struck out on Number 3. This is going to be a challenge. You can tell when he’s about to pop his top because the tips of his ears get red and his forehead frowns, which I found out twice by accident when I bad-mouthed Eleanor Roosevelt and Wilma Flintstone (long story, but it has something to do with the Equal Rights Amendment and both of them getting stuck with sexist douchebags like FDR and Fred). He picked USC for college not because of the Trojans but because L.A. is the farthest he can get from his parents. The only reason he never said anything to me in the hallway is because he was afraid. He needs to be talked out of wearing the blue Van Heusens. There’s nobody else like him in the whole world. And he thinks that’s a handicap! QUESTION: How come he wants to hang out with me?

Travis Puckett
Beckley School
Room 214
Tarrytown, New York

Bulletin: He has a dimple in his chin that you can only see when he (a) smiles, and (b) smiles at me. May I be struck dumb if I’m making this up. We passed each other in the hall after dinner. Craig said “How’s it going?” and I squeaked four times. (Four times!) THEN I DID TWENTY MINUTES ON ANGELA LANSBURY, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! What was I thinking? That’s no way to talk to a jock. It’s a whole other language. “Johnny Unitas.” “Notre Dame.” “Third down.” “Gridlock.” My life is over. The only way he’ll even grunt at me again is if he’s hanging off a cliff by his fingers and I come to his rescue. And what are the chances of that?!

The second part of the novel, set 20 years later, sometimes stretches credibility as far as its narrative goes, but never gets bogged down in unnecessary detail, and introduces a delightful array of suporting characters with which to flesh out the story.

As novels go, it's not without its flaws. The main characters' voices aren't always dissimilar, although the supporting cast are wonderfully enunciated - especially Gordo, Travis' almost-offensively heterosexual slob of a roommate. The climax, after over 300 pages of build-up, feels slightly rushed. That said, it's resolved in a way that reveals the writer's essential humanity and deep affection for his characters, given that someone is going to get their heart broken whether Travis and Craig end up together again or not.

Overall, a delightful novel, easy to read, engaging, compelling and definitely worth picking up if you're feeling like a bit of love in your life. Definitely recommended.