A hilarious debut novel follows Daniel Stephenson, a Midwesterner-turned-Manhattanite who decides to cast his alter ego Princess 2Di4 aside and delve into a administrative assistant position, working for Blaine Dunhill, the sexy neighbor he has been ogling for quite some time. 25,000 first printing.
The playful panache and wit of writers like Neal Drinnan and Matthew Rettenmund are evoked by newcomer Beck, spinning a charming, humorously appealing tale of 30-something New York transplant Daniel Stephenson, who chucks his famously popular drag queen alter ego "Princess 2Di4" for a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Faced with an uncertain future and devoid of any actual employment experience, Daniel is temporarily kept afloat by a generous check and some good advice from his wealthy and wise Aunt Jen. Now there's lots of time to cultivate his green thumb in the "comfort zone" of his backyard garden, and love looms nearby as Blaine, a beautifully mysterious stranger, sporadically appears in a window high above his garden. But what entanglements the weeds can't offer, a bevy of interpersonal dramatics certainly do: jealous fights erupt at his old venue Club Chaos, Daniel's old drag wardrobe is sadly auctioned off and ex-boyfriend Jeremy and Jeremy's new love carelessly blur the lines of their individual friendships with Daniel. Adding to the mix, his friend Ken's health begins to deteriorate from AIDS even as he manages an awkward administrative position at Blaine's advertising firm. Beck's narrative is crisply charming but overlong, too often indulging in the many deliberations of his melodramatic protagonist. Once over these hurdles, however, readers will find the overall mood light and the action (romantic or otherwise) absorbing enough to keep the pages turning. Beck's debut delivers fluffy, uncomplicated, G-rated entertainment for those who prefer their gay fiction whipped to a frothy consistency.
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Daniel, a refugee from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is a wanna-be actor turned drag queen in New York. He specializes in 2Di4, a character he and his mentor, Ken, based on Princess Di. But he packs her in when, on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, Di dies. Taking solace in creating a garden in the back of the apartment, which is newly his because his boyfriend left him for another man some months ago, he putters, pots, prunes, and can't help noticing the hunky neighbor. It turns out he has tossed his tiara at the right time, because neighbor Blaine Dunhill, who lives with Sheila (what can
that mean?), needs a new administrative assistant. Answering phones and scheduling meetings seem agreeable to Daniel until he screens an irate call from Mrs. Blaine Dunhill, who is not Blaine's mother (what can
that mean?). What might have been only a breezy, campy jape becomes meditative as Daniel, growing and changing, seeks new levels of friendship, self-awareness, and trust.
Whitney ScottCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
