After Nirvana

by Lee Williams

A stunningly realized post-grunge novel in the tradition of John Rechy's City of Night from a truly provocative new voice in literary fiction Set in the Pacific Northwest, After Nirvana follows a small bunch of drugged-out street kids. The narrator, Davey, chronicles his life on the street with a group that includes his girlfriend, Nikki; a boy he loves, named James; a violently twisted older kid called Branch; and assorted tricks and dealers. With astonishingly gritty depictions of America's underside, author Lee Williams brilliantly captures daily existence for these anesthetized teens and includes hypnotically raunchy scenes of gay and straight sex -- usually performed for cash or drugs, some times for lust or love. After Nirvana employs a unique vocabulary (for example, sex is always called slither) and verbal pyrotechnics to tell a riveting story that is sometimes funny, often grim, but always tremendously moving. It is as powerful and original as any novel published in recent years and as real as the kids sleeping on the streets in any city or town in America.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Lee Williams graduated from the University of Oregon in 1994. He lives in Portland. After Nirvana is his first novel.

Reviews

[Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book for me is a good 3.8 stars, why not 4, because I was promised a version of less than zero set in Portland and the book did not delivered.

But I loved it. I usually don't read about the northwest and I had to Google some of the land marks that were mentioned (did not know Portland was the Simpsons city).

I loved the protagonists (as in Davy, Nikky, James and Jody. Branch can go to hell for all I care).

I wanted more from the story and at the same time I wanted less, I wanted to know where James and Jody anded up, if the group met again (not likely but I am a hopeless romantic) but some scenes should have ended well before they did in the book.

Overall it's a good book, for a first time author, I just wish there were more info on it.

[Nicholas Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

No holds barred story of young street hustlers in the Pacific Northwest. Williams doesn't shy away from the realities of living on the streets/abandoned buildings and selling yourself for money and or drugs. The back stories of his characters is very briefly sketched yet you are drawn into their lives willy nilly. They care for each other and so did this reader. Good ending too I thought.

[Johnny No Bueno · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who lived it, this is the most precise look at the gay-for-pay hustler scene in Portland Oregon of the 80s and 90s. Written by someone who knows.

[Noah am Ende · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad description of unhoused mostly queer people and the things they’ll go through. Described in a very distant tone. And no real big narrative sorta slice of life in their perspective.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing, dark, and overall realistic novel of homeless youth who live on the margins of society in the Pacific Northwest (hence the title) and their hardscramble life of drugs, hustling, and a lust for stability and freedom. It's not a perfect novel, in ways far too short and in other ways too heavy on dialog and scenes that either repeat themselves or drag on too long, yet overall the group portrait of the characters you wind up with makes you care about them greatly and find empathy for their lives. This book was written in the late 1990s, so a lot of the details and dialog may seem dated in places but it's a product of its time and yet still carries a strong gravitas today—add in some more contemporary technology and language and it would be 2011 easily.

[Patrick Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davy the narrator is difficult to follow by design. It feels slow and repetitive for the first half, but then comes together at the end. It’s actually kind of a touching story aside from the subject matter.

[J37 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good novel. I was engaged with the characters. Had it's boring moments but overall enjoyed this.

[Deran Ludd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly awful. Cheese rip off of a Dennic Cooper-esque novel. If I were the editor given this novel to look over I would have drawn a red pencil through everything except the section about the girl Nikki. She should have been the main character. Davie and James should be side notes at best. They are really only worth a passing mention. I repeat, Nikki was the most interesting character. It could have been a servicible post-Riot Grrrl novel of some interest instead of a sloppy Dennis Cooper-esque flop.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An first rate novel, do not be misled by the reviewers who dismiss it as some sort poor Dennis Cooper pastiche - this is an honest, original and very unique voice of an author who demonstrates great promise. What is really sad is that this remarkable debut has not had a follow up.

It is the sort of novel Teenagers and young people should read but certainly won't be recommended to them by those drawing up YA lists of books to read. Having said that don't doubt for a moment that this is a book for everyone.

[Monty]

This is the only book I have ever quit mid-read. It's a horrible mess. Please do not read it.