They Change the Subject

by Douglas A. Martin

Treacherously comic and poignant, the autobiographical stories in They Change the Subject follow a young man’s quest for identity through love and desire. Sustained by a single voice, the stories simultaneously offer a fractured novel and stand, powerfully, on their own. At the center of each tale is the heightened, visceral possibility of unexpected emotional encounters—from an escort’s dates in Manhattan hotels to a photo shoot that doubles as seduction. Always pushing toward a bigger shiver of passion, Martin’s young-man-on-the-make learns how to adapt his persona to suit his lovers’ needs and tries to embrace his own experience—and his self—by becoming the purest object of desire.

Genres: Short Stories, Queer

146 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2005

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short novel, better described as a collection of vignettes, will please readers who appreciate the writer's random thoughts and views throughout a series of encounters--some sexual, others romantic--where details and identities are vague and purposely non-specific.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time over ten years ago and I loved it - I have recently reread it and maybe didn't quite love it as much as I remembered - though still awed by Mr. Martin's writing and the books wit, humor and extraordinary range and subtlety - particularly considering it is such a short book. Perhaps my change of heart, and I would emphasize it is a small change, is because I am older, not that I was 'young' when I first read it - but maybe the memory or at least the feelings of youth were closer to me then. But this is a very small reservation towards what is still a beautifully written collection of if not stories, then episodes or moments, that go to make up a life. I would still recommend it highly and I would be surprised if at any reader not both moved to laughter and tears by it.

[Frank Karioris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts out slowly, but then picks up pace as it moves into the second and third sections of the book. The writing is still, for me, a bit less than optimum, but the stories it tells have a ot there in them. In a way, one might suggest, being hopeful or thoughtful, that the author made a choice that left the writing/story more Spartan than not because it fits the thematic emphasis.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an easy read, easily finished in under two hours. The narrator walks you through stories about working as an escort, his tricks, his searches for love and lust, his heartbreak, and his hope. Its both bittersweet and at times humorous with an undertone of a glimmer of hope.

[Syed · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting book, with stories that seem to be loosely tied in together to tell the tales of a somewhat promiscuous gay man. I was, at times, confused and unsure at what the author was getting at.

[Wendy Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay i would not recommend reading this if you are prone to bouts of sadness but it was so gorgeous, and the whole -- how bodies feel, how having a body feels, i'm so with you