Safe As Houses

by Alex Jeffers

Working with metaphors of deafness, language, homosexuality and illness, Safe as Houses explores the definition of family that includes but is not limited to blood relations, and a definition of fatherhood apart from or in addition to paternity.

Genres: Fiction, M M Romance, LGBT

364 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Writer (of various sorts of fiction and, as professionally required, copy).

Editor/copyeditor/proof reader (my own and others’ writings).

Reader (catholic, if not Roman). Designer (as far as it goes). Seamster (out of practice these days). Gardener (presently sans garden, alackaday).

Listener (to music, to friends, to crazy people). Commenter (not so much, really, though I do talk, perhaps too much, to the cats).

Drinker (put-hair-on-your-chest* black coffee mostly, spiced with the occasional Earl Grey, pinot grigio, Campari, gin, or Irish whiskey). Smoker (I know, all right, so just be quiet).

Dreamer (actually, I almost never recall my dreams). Ivy League grad (it’s true!). Tattooed and pierced person (you can take that on trust).

Quasi Muslim (if, you know, I believed in God). Football fan (no, no, no, not American football: real football, what you call soccer). Gay man.

Autobiographer? Not just no, fuck off and die no.

* not that that’s worked for me, dammit

Reviews

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~]

This was the second oldest book in my TBR, and another one I kept taking on and off it. I'm actually surprised I made it as far in as I did, which was 36%.

First note: this is gay lit, not M/M. Also note the first line in the blurb, which I didn't reread before starting the book (I never do though).

It's written well enough, though he's a little too in love with commas at times. It reads much like an autobiography, which makes sense if you read the blurb, lol. This was a strange mix of interesting and boring. I especially liked the early chapters where Allan is detailing his parents' childhoods - or how he imagined them - as they grew up deaf immigrants in post-WWII America and the challenges they faced because of that. But even then, it still felt like watching a slideshow of someone else's vacation photos.

I put it down at 36% to go on to another book, fully intending to come back but feeling the need for a break. Then I read some reviews that revealed that Allan does indeed die, and of AIDS, and lost what little interest I had. I still thought I'd try giving one more go, but when I realized I'd already forgotten about this one I figured it was time to move on.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is written in 1995, it is still relevant in this part of the 21st century. While it is a fictional novel, the author made the characters come to life, made them human. It's about a married gay couple, trying to raise two boys with love and tenderness. But it's not just about family, it's about how people relate to each other and about the AIDS crisis, about losing lovers and friends and sometimes both in the same person.

I think that this book is definitely worth a read. Once I read a couple of chapters, I began to really want to read it to the end. The author shows us the life a gay man, his relationships, that with his family and those around him as he grows up and starts to find himself. I really liked how his partner & his lives were written and the family that they created and how they dealt with the beginnings of the AIDS crisis. I'm still mulling over the ending, kind of sitting on the fence about whether I liked how it ended or not.

[Jerry L. Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the story of Allen Pasztory, and his relationship with his husband, Jeremy and Jeremy’s son, Toby. It’s also the story of Allen’s AIDS and how it affects them all, but it is not … repeat, not … one of those screamingly depressing books about the epidemic which were epidemic themselves in the early part of the 90’s. Jeffers’ Allen Pasztory does not play the victim and doesn’t succumb, though many of his friends do. Will he? Of course he will, but he will do it off-screen with grace and dignity. There will be no sequel. And that, for once, is a shame. Jeffers’ characters are beautifully detailed and scarily alive. But along with Allen and his older, yet younger man Jeremy, Jeffers’ best work lies in Jeremy’s son, Toby. We see him grow from a boy to a man, enraptured by all the stages in between as seen through Allen’s perspective. Also deftly handled is the relationship between Toby and Allen’s sister’s son, Kit. Straight Toby and gay Kit have many deep, one-word conversations that only people who know each other better than they know themselves can understand. Buy Safe as Houses and set it aside for a rainy day. When that day rolls in, grey and gloomy, light a fire, curl up beside it with a nice glass of wine and let Jeffers weave his magic. It’ll be sunny again before you know it. Full review at https://outinprintblog.wordpress.com/...

[Kassa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Safe as Houses was originally published in 1995 but is now rereleased through Lethe Press. I’ve heard of this book mentioned here and there but never picked up the title until I read Alan Chin’s rave review of the released title. So I was surprised that I struggled to get through the beginning and wanted to give up many times, likely would have walked away if the book wasn’t for review. Yet I found myself totally absorbed and immersed in the second half of the book. If I hadn’t continued, I would have missed a moving, emotional story that by turns surprises and delights. Safe as Houses is not always an easy book to read with dense, wandering prose and a tendency to go off on tangents with a choppy time line but once the narrative gets into the main character’s current life, the story becomes very engaging. Definitely worth reading, if not always easy.

The book begins with a lengthy introduction to the main character, Allen Pasztory. The beginning is told from his parents’ point of view about their growing up in an orphanage and the early obstacles and problems. This is an interesting look at the topic and goes into great depth and imagination about the lives these two would have led and the importance of hands for talking. Unfortunately this section also tends to be even wordier than other parts, if that’s possible, and thus didn’t capture my interest fully. In some ways it did, as the imagery evoked is beautiful and ethereal with a fascinating concept and look into a very different world. However the entire section felt disconnected from the main part of the book, which deals with Allen and his life with his lover and child. This lengthy background into Allen’s parents felt superfluous as the parents almost entirely disappear in the later part of the novel. In fact I almost wished I’d skipped the beginning background with the slow pace, choppy timeline, and incredibly dense language. Getting through this section left me sadly uninterested in continuing with the novel, but once I got to Allen’s present day life, the story becomes engaging once again.

Here the story introduces Jeremy Kent and his son Toby. Allen becomes involved with Jeremy and the remainder of the novel is Allen’s narration about their life together, past memories, difficulties and joys of a life together. The story tends to jump forward and back in time, telling past memories alongside current actions. This reminded me of an older man telling stories about his life and with all the prejudice that comes from a biased narrator as well. Allen’s life is not always easy as he’s dealing with career, relationships, parenthood, and eventually AIDS. This isn’t a novel about any one aspect in particular, but more so a look at the full life of a complicated man. His relationship with Jeremy is central and important, but just as much as his relationship with Toby and eventually Allen’s nephew Kit.

The writing for the entire novel is lyrical, gentle, and tends to wander. The prose is dense and wordy, offering sidetracks within sentences and thoughts. This is slightly indulgent as a myriad of colors, smells, random thoughts and sounds are all included almost without censoring. This helps give the story a very languid pace, immersing the reader into Allen’s rich life. At the same time some of this leaping in time and place can be disjointed. It’s not confusing but doesn’t follow a linear, straight path and some of the wealth of detail seems unnecessary. There are details about almost everything which give beautiful imagery but make the story not an easy or fast read. I found reading it over several days helped allow me to enjoy the entire experience more than rushing through in one sitting. This also helps as the pace is somewhat choppy and not especially even.

The story is mostly told from Allen’s third person point of view but he’s also biased. Jeremy, Toby, and Kit are all too good to be true but that’s how Allen sees them. He remembers the infidelity or fights or disagreements, the minor annoyances that flair into hurt, but he also deeply loves Jeremy and is totally committed to the man. Just as Allen can’t imagine life without Jeremy, he is even more dedicated to Toby. His relationship to Toby is a cornerstone of his life and one he couldn’t do without. There’s a scene where Jeremy remarks that he thinks Allen only stays with him because of Toby and this is certainly true to an extent. It doesn’t take away from his romantic relationship to Jeremy but that parent-son bond is incredibly important and strong between Allen and Toby. This complex and somewhat idyllic, family shows real strength alongside flaws and weaknesses.

Safe as Houses is a difficult book to rate for me as I struggled to get through the overly loquacious beginning but was soon absorbed in the second half. The later half of the book is one I would definitely read again but I’d skip the beginning portion entirely. While interesting, this feels better suited in another book so considering that the rating is perhaps not reflective of the best aspects of the story. Either way, I’d recommend this as a fascinating, unique, and poignant look at the life and relationships of a great character.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Safe As Houses by Alex Jeffers

Reviewed by Alan Chin
Publisher: Lethe Press.

Allen Pasztory was raised by Hungarian immigrant parents who were both deaf. Even though he hears, he was brought up talking with his hands and facial expressions. He meets Jeremy while working at an advertizing agency in San Francisco. The two begin a rocky relationship until Allen finds out Jeremy is raising a son, Toby. The idea of being a family, of raising a child, is all that’s needed for Allen to commit to a long-term relationship. The three of them setup house in San Francisco and all seems to move along without a care, except that it’s the 80s and many of their friends are dying of AIDS.

Out of the blue, Allen takes a new job as an admissions officer at a prep school in Rhode Island, and it’s clear the move is because death is inching too close for comfort in the gay Mecca. Yes, Allen is HIV positive, and the move is him distancing himself from the dying.

While making a new life for himself and his small family (by this time Toby is a teenager), Allen’s nephew, Kit, comes to live with them as well. Together, as a loving family, they deal with Allen’s failing health in a touching and dignified way.

This is a story of family and love – the consuming love that grows from a family on the outskirts struggling with a vital disability – told from two different family’s viewpoints, Allen’s parents and Allen’s new family. It is a tapestry woven in vibrant detail with beautiful language.

I often felt that the children were the glue that held Allen and Jeremy together because so often Allen seemed to show more affection for Toby and eventually Kit. Allen’s relationship with each of the characters, including his parents, was sensitive and touching. It becomes a clear example that “alternative families” can be every bit as nurturing and loving as “traditional families”, even though they have different issues to contend with. Safe as Houses is a triumph in the gay parenting cause, and indeed, living with any disability.

What struck me most was that this family was able to create such a loving, cohesive unit in a world that refused to acknowledge their right to exist – somewhat reminiscent of an exquisite lily growing out of a muddy bog.

Safe as Houses is a book not to be rushed though. It must be read at one’s leisure, to wallow in the pleasure of glimpsing into this loving family. But read it one should, a delicate story that is superbly written.

Safe as House combined with his other novel I Remember Tulum has made Alex Jeffers one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read more from this extraordinary talent.

For more information press here.

[Indie Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books we know will have a discernible impact on us while we are reading them and that their story and characters will remain with us long after we have finished reading. Safe As Houses by Alex Jeffers is such a book.

Safe As Houses is a beautifully written and intensely moving story of a family faced with the devastating reality of illness and the impending loss of a spouse and parent. It is also a story of love and commitment, of relationships and of families both born to and chosen.

Read the complete review of Safe As Houses by Alex Jeffers at Indie Reviews.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off slow, but picked up. I enjoyed it.