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Beijing
Escaping his ghosts, AIDS widower David Masiello accepts a one-year position at a Western medical clinic in Beijing. Lonely but excited, he sets out to explore the city—both its bustling street life and its clandestine gay subculture.
David chronicles his adventures in China as he wrestles with cultural dislocation, loneliness, and sexual and spiritual longing. After a series of both comic and poignant encounters with gay Chinese men, he meets Bosheng, a handsome young artist. Though the attraction is strong, a difficult courtship ensues, during which Bosheng returns to his ancestral village to marry the girl his parents have chosen for him. Eventually, and quite unexpectedly, David and Bosheng reconnect and share an idyllic spring together. As the year ends, David must decide whether to say goodbye or face the uncertainties of a long-distance relationship.
Gambone’s novel is peopled with a host of wonderfully memorable Owen, David’s forthright best friend back home; Auntie Chen, the clinic’s office mom, who wants to fix David up with a girlfriend; Stewart, David’s Beijing roommate, a graduate student doing research on Peking opera; Jiantao and Guoyang, two lovers who lecture David on the fleeting quality of American romance; and Tyson, the Australian doctor with a Chinese girlfriend, who hopes to teach David that love doesn’t need any explanations or justifications.
David chronicles his adventures in China as he wrestles with cultural dislocation, loneliness, and sexual and spiritual longing. After a series of both comic and poignant encounters with gay Chinese men, he meets Bosheng, a handsome young artist. Though the attraction is strong, a difficult courtship ensues, during which Bosheng returns to his ancestral village to marry the girl his parents have chosen for him. Eventually, and quite unexpectedly, David and Bosheng reconnect and share an idyllic spring together. As the year ends, David must decide whether to say goodbye or face the uncertainties of a long-distance relationship.
Gambone’s novel is peopled with a host of wonderfully memorable Owen, David’s forthright best friend back home; Auntie Chen, the clinic’s office mom, who wants to fix David up with a girlfriend; Stewart, David’s Beijing roommate, a graduate student doing research on Peking opera; Jiantao and Guoyang, two lovers who lecture David on the fleeting quality of American romance; and Tyson, the Australian doctor with a Chinese girlfriend, who hopes to teach David that love doesn’t need any explanations or justifications.
312 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 28, 2008
Older white man goes to China and is pissed because he never dated an Asian and had never been attracted to them. But in a land of scarcity, he does what he has to do.
August 6, 2012
not entirely innovative, but a plainly true-one-yourself recount.
October 25, 2013
A book I thought was going to be too sad to read ended up being a delight. What a funny, bittersweet book!
April 21, 2008
I picked up this book because Philip Gambone was my english teacher in 2007. When I first started reading it I was kind of surprised. The thoughts that first ran through my head were, "I dont want to know that my favorite teacher thinks, does, or writes about any of these things". But it didnt take long for me to get past that and to realize that I was reading a good book.
The journey that Gambone lets David Masiello take us on is a great one. One that exhibits love, frustration, comedy and one that lets us explore another culture. I learned at lot from this book. I learned about the chinese culture and how in that society any sexuality other than, heterosexual, must be kept a secret. I learned about the caring way that everyone treats eachother. How everyone is considered brothers.
Overall, this was a good book. My only problem with it is that there are many times when you think "okay get to the point" and then there are many times when its like "okay that got to the point too fast". In the edition that I have there also seem to be many poor editing mistakes (like "is" instead of "his").
I am happy that I read this book, it gave me a sort of insight to the mind of my favorite teacher.
And it taught me that love can come in strange ways but when it comes you have to take hold of it and not let it go.
The journey that Gambone lets David Masiello take us on is a great one. One that exhibits love, frustration, comedy and one that lets us explore another culture. I learned at lot from this book. I learned about the chinese culture and how in that society any sexuality other than, heterosexual, must be kept a secret. I learned about the caring way that everyone treats eachother. How everyone is considered brothers.
Overall, this was a good book. My only problem with it is that there are many times when you think "okay get to the point" and then there are many times when its like "okay that got to the point too fast". In the edition that I have there also seem to be many poor editing mistakes (like "is" instead of "his").
I am happy that I read this book, it gave me a sort of insight to the mind of my favorite teacher.
And it taught me that love can come in strange ways but when it comes you have to take hold of it and not let it go.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews