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Different People
Ever since high school, Cal Hewitt and Eric Hamilton have had a thing for each other. But they are so different, so opposite, neither has had the nerve to do anything about it. Over more than a decade spanning the late 1980s and the 1990s, life's greatest challenges, victories, and tragedies keep them from ever truly connecting or, alternately, losing touch. When two men are this perfect for each other, however, nothing is going to keep them apart-if they can only stop hating each other long enough to figure that out.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 21, 2019
Who knew that growing up gay from the late '70s through the late '90s was such a chore. What with all that AIDS stuff going on and drug use, resulting in the inability of gay men to connect. Sad, really. Almost like living through the '60s where the entire world revolved around the Vietnam War, or the '50s where everyone lived in a white picket fenced fantasia and family values were everywhere to be found. I mean, without stereotypes, history might be nothing more than a chaotic maelstrom of variety and ever-present change. And what, I ask you, would the good of that be?
Sarcasm aside, Different People is far from a bad book. It just isn't very honest in its depictions of gay life during the two turbulent decades before the new millennium. Any more than books and movies written during the late '70s and early '80s were very honest in their depictions of the Vietnam War. Maybe it's because we're still too close to the whole AIDS crisis which, though the scare has diminished over time, has yet to be resolved.
Point of fact is, however, there are many of us out there who lived through the times depicted in this book and, quite frankly, there is very little in it worth relating to. Yes, we lost, and continue to lose, friends to the plague and, yes, we are familiar with the rampant drug problem which was a hallmark of the "me" decade, but there was a whole lot more going on than that. Even for those caught up in the worst aspects of the times.
Presented as a sort of agonizing, will-they-or-won't-they love story between ACT UP! activist Eric and yuppie drug addict Cal, Different People is written in a form not often seen today. With an omniscient narrator interjecting his thoughts on everything from politics to art, not necessarily from the point-of-view of his protagonists, it can be a somewhat infuriating and downbeat read.
In fact, Different People is so stilted in its presentation of the characters and their interactions that it comes across as a weird updated amalgamation of Charles Dickens and Henry James, with a little contemporary Oliver Stone moralizing thrown in for good measure. Hardly the precipitator of a "resounding emotional satisfaction" promised on the book jacket.
Instead, the characters are so lacking in any charm or quirks of any kind, they're almost insignificant in their interactions. If that was the point, then author Orland Outland has succeeded in creating the Seinfeld of gay novels. Without the humor. All of which left this reader feeling somewhat empty and unfulfilled. And that is never a good thing.
Sarcasm aside, Different People is far from a bad book. It just isn't very honest in its depictions of gay life during the two turbulent decades before the new millennium. Any more than books and movies written during the late '70s and early '80s were very honest in their depictions of the Vietnam War. Maybe it's because we're still too close to the whole AIDS crisis which, though the scare has diminished over time, has yet to be resolved.
Point of fact is, however, there are many of us out there who lived through the times depicted in this book and, quite frankly, there is very little in it worth relating to. Yes, we lost, and continue to lose, friends to the plague and, yes, we are familiar with the rampant drug problem which was a hallmark of the "me" decade, but there was a whole lot more going on than that. Even for those caught up in the worst aspects of the times.
Presented as a sort of agonizing, will-they-or-won't-they love story between ACT UP! activist Eric and yuppie drug addict Cal, Different People is written in a form not often seen today. With an omniscient narrator interjecting his thoughts on everything from politics to art, not necessarily from the point-of-view of his protagonists, it can be a somewhat infuriating and downbeat read.
In fact, Different People is so stilted in its presentation of the characters and their interactions that it comes across as a weird updated amalgamation of Charles Dickens and Henry James, with a little contemporary Oliver Stone moralizing thrown in for good measure. Hardly the precipitator of a "resounding emotional satisfaction" promised on the book jacket.
Instead, the characters are so lacking in any charm or quirks of any kind, they're almost insignificant in their interactions. If that was the point, then author Orland Outland has succeeded in creating the Seinfeld of gay novels. Without the humor. All of which left this reader feeling somewhat empty and unfulfilled. And that is never a good thing.
August 13, 2016
I was in the mood for a gay romance and from the first pages this promised to be one of the best I've read in a while.
The story starts out in Reagan era Reno. A spunky, single Gaia-type mother has raised a smart, strong, good-looking son with an optimistic and cheery disposition, an honest to goodness nice all-american kid whose been raised on team sports and an environment of acceptance despite his gay leanings. The kid lovingly tolerates mom's liberal leanings with the confidence of the young and untested. When his mom invites the neighbor boy over to help with some chores, it's apparent that there's some matchmaking/rescue plans in her mind. The neighbor boy has been raised in a fundamentalist home and is wracked with guilt about an attraction to other young men which he's struggling mightily to control.
Within the first few pages I knew that I was going to like the story. I liked the characters, I liked the set-up and I liked the author's style.
But then I reached chapter two. Two years had passed and the characters had grown a bit. I realized that this was going to be more than the light hearted romance I'd signed up for.
From the first I knew that these two needed to end up together. But there's a journey of self discovery for both before anything like that will be possible.
With each chapter history develops and the men's experiences change them and their points of view. It's not all "school of hard knocks" but there are a few upsets that shape these young men's lives and they make for a compelling story.
I enjoyed the way that locations and history were a constant backdrop to the story but the romantic in me wanted their journey to be an easier one. There are more light hearted romances out there but this book is worthwhile nonetheless. Toward the middle it did get a little political, but then, one of the main characters was becoming more politcal as well.
I'll be checking out this author's other work.
The story starts out in Reagan era Reno. A spunky, single Gaia-type mother has raised a smart, strong, good-looking son with an optimistic and cheery disposition, an honest to goodness nice all-american kid whose been raised on team sports and an environment of acceptance despite his gay leanings. The kid lovingly tolerates mom's liberal leanings with the confidence of the young and untested. When his mom invites the neighbor boy over to help with some chores, it's apparent that there's some matchmaking/rescue plans in her mind. The neighbor boy has been raised in a fundamentalist home and is wracked with guilt about an attraction to other young men which he's struggling mightily to control.
Within the first few pages I knew that I was going to like the story. I liked the characters, I liked the set-up and I liked the author's style.
But then I reached chapter two. Two years had passed and the characters had grown a bit. I realized that this was going to be more than the light hearted romance I'd signed up for.
From the first I knew that these two needed to end up together. But there's a journey of self discovery for both before anything like that will be possible.
With each chapter history develops and the men's experiences change them and their points of view. It's not all "school of hard knocks" but there are a few upsets that shape these young men's lives and they make for a compelling story.
I enjoyed the way that locations and history were a constant backdrop to the story but the romantic in me wanted their journey to be an easier one. There are more light hearted romances out there but this book is worthwhile nonetheless. Toward the middle it did get a little political, but then, one of the main characters was becoming more politcal as well.
I'll be checking out this author's other work.
July 1, 2017
I really enjoyed many parts of this book. The first two chapters and the scenes with Eric and Cal together are really great. The stories involving Eric's mother's life, Cal's sister, and Cal's drug addiction were not that interesting for me. More time could have been spent on the reunion of both men (which, I thought, was given the short shrift) and less on Cal's drug problems. But watching both men struggle with life was an interesting read. I was impressed with Eric's struggle with his weight towards the end. This isn't something that you read about a lot in gay novels. I would definitely read more books from this author. I know he currently writes under a different name. It's a shame Alyson Books, the original publisher of this book, went out of business because they put out some really good books. If you can get past the awful cover, this is a good read.
October 13, 2008
I spent a weekend in New York City last spring, during which I went to see the play, "The Last Sunday In June." For those not in the know (which used to include me), the Gay Pride Parade is traditionally held in New York on the last Sunday in June. When I suggested purchasing tickets for the show, my friend Jack asked what the show was about, and then laughed at my response. I remember saying something along the lines of, "If it’s gay-themed, that means it’ll be funny, catty, and depressing as hell."
If those three elements are the (or, at least my) formula for a gay-themed play or novel, Orland Outland’s "Different People" doesn’t try to be funny and makes a few feeble attempts at being catty. Nonetheless, it is especially (perhaps too) triumphant in depressing the living hell out of the reader. It’s fair to say that at least some of us (this includes me, too) appreciate a story or idea that is upsetting, because it makes you realize things could be a lot worse—-a reality check, if you will. After all, how else can you explain the brilliant careers of Michael Cunningham, Morrissey, and Jonathan Larson? Like the works of the aforementioned, "Different People" offers plenty of clouds and all-too-few silver linings.
Eric Hamilton is the type of 21-year-old who exists only in novels. If being an openly gay college athlete in 1988 isn’t enough, he also aspires to write, has an ideal relationship with his single mother (for you “Queer As Folk” fans, she’s Sharon Gless, but normal and more mysterious), believes strongly in monogamy, and did I mention he’s an Adonis? His rainbow flag-waving mother, Emma, is eager to set him up with Cal Hewitt, the boy across the street who sounds more like someone less contrived. The son of an emotionally absent father and bible-pushing mother, Cal is shy, distant, and closeted. Eric and Cal have always known each other from afar, but it’s not until they’re face-to-face that a mutual attraction prevails. Unable to accept himself as openly as Eric does, Cal rejects his advances, and the two part ways.
Both leave home (Reno, Nevada) for California—-Cal for an MBA from Stanford, Eric to pursue writing in San Francisco. Their paths don’t cross again until a few years later, back in Reno, when Eric is paying a routine visit while Cal is witnessing his father’s final days. Emma urges Eric to contact Cal, who is ambivalent until he learns of Cal Sr.’s illness. While in San Francisco, Eric has the misfortune of witnessing death first-hand, which convinces him to take part in ACT UP. Upon seeing Eric’s shaved-head, tattooed activist self, Cal—-bitter about the white-collar path his life and career have taken—-lashes out inappropriately and defensively. Again, the two part ways.
The time period is essential to author Outland’s storytelling. He works the life stories, seemingly doomed romance, and never-ending obstacles of these two men around the political climate of the late Bush-early Clinton era, when the cities of San Francisco and New York were understatedly panicked from AIDS. Despite being potentially biased, Orland’s account of ACT UP’s history and activities, from rise to fall, is nothing short of engrossing. Again, it only adds to Eric’s already-too-perfect character and Cal’s unflinching gloom, but each does justice to viewing that time period from the forefront and backdrop, respectively.
As Eric and Cal mature into their twenties, both experience routine periods of suffering and (seemingly) joy. After his father’s death, Cal is left with enough money to function without having to work much, which eventually leads to a heroin addiction. Eric watches Emma die of cancer, and later his lover, Howard, of AIDS—-all the while developing a fondness for marijuana. For different reasons, both ultimately find themselves back in Reno.
As an aspiring writer myself, I enjoyed witnessing Eric’s transformation from coffee house counter boy to successful freelancer. By virtue of its title, I expected the story’s main characters to be polar opposites, and the journey of Eric and Cal reminds the reader time and time again. I can’t say I was especially ‘moved’ by this novel, or its outcome. Nonetheless, it reminds us of a time (and its events) that is far from over, and perhaps not all that different from today.
If those three elements are the (or, at least my) formula for a gay-themed play or novel, Orland Outland’s "Different People" doesn’t try to be funny and makes a few feeble attempts at being catty. Nonetheless, it is especially (perhaps too) triumphant in depressing the living hell out of the reader. It’s fair to say that at least some of us (this includes me, too) appreciate a story or idea that is upsetting, because it makes you realize things could be a lot worse—-a reality check, if you will. After all, how else can you explain the brilliant careers of Michael Cunningham, Morrissey, and Jonathan Larson? Like the works of the aforementioned, "Different People" offers plenty of clouds and all-too-few silver linings.
Eric Hamilton is the type of 21-year-old who exists only in novels. If being an openly gay college athlete in 1988 isn’t enough, he also aspires to write, has an ideal relationship with his single mother (for you “Queer As Folk” fans, she’s Sharon Gless, but normal and more mysterious), believes strongly in monogamy, and did I mention he’s an Adonis? His rainbow flag-waving mother, Emma, is eager to set him up with Cal Hewitt, the boy across the street who sounds more like someone less contrived. The son of an emotionally absent father and bible-pushing mother, Cal is shy, distant, and closeted. Eric and Cal have always known each other from afar, but it’s not until they’re face-to-face that a mutual attraction prevails. Unable to accept himself as openly as Eric does, Cal rejects his advances, and the two part ways.
Both leave home (Reno, Nevada) for California—-Cal for an MBA from Stanford, Eric to pursue writing in San Francisco. Their paths don’t cross again until a few years later, back in Reno, when Eric is paying a routine visit while Cal is witnessing his father’s final days. Emma urges Eric to contact Cal, who is ambivalent until he learns of Cal Sr.’s illness. While in San Francisco, Eric has the misfortune of witnessing death first-hand, which convinces him to take part in ACT UP. Upon seeing Eric’s shaved-head, tattooed activist self, Cal—-bitter about the white-collar path his life and career have taken—-lashes out inappropriately and defensively. Again, the two part ways.
The time period is essential to author Outland’s storytelling. He works the life stories, seemingly doomed romance, and never-ending obstacles of these two men around the political climate of the late Bush-early Clinton era, when the cities of San Francisco and New York were understatedly panicked from AIDS. Despite being potentially biased, Orland’s account of ACT UP’s history and activities, from rise to fall, is nothing short of engrossing. Again, it only adds to Eric’s already-too-perfect character and Cal’s unflinching gloom, but each does justice to viewing that time period from the forefront and backdrop, respectively.
As Eric and Cal mature into their twenties, both experience routine periods of suffering and (seemingly) joy. After his father’s death, Cal is left with enough money to function without having to work much, which eventually leads to a heroin addiction. Eric watches Emma die of cancer, and later his lover, Howard, of AIDS—-all the while developing a fondness for marijuana. For different reasons, both ultimately find themselves back in Reno.
As an aspiring writer myself, I enjoyed witnessing Eric’s transformation from coffee house counter boy to successful freelancer. By virtue of its title, I expected the story’s main characters to be polar opposites, and the journey of Eric and Cal reminds the reader time and time again. I can’t say I was especially ‘moved’ by this novel, or its outcome. Nonetheless, it reminds us of a time (and its events) that is far from over, and perhaps not all that different from today.
February 17, 2014
The front of this book look like gay porn... but it isn't. It is a very well written book about growing up gay in the seventies and all the troubles incurring , including drug addiction. Later on a little sex is included, but no more than any normal book about life. I would have never pick up this book with THAT cover, except that this author was a high school friend of my husband, and my husband having NO gaydar at all, never realized he was gay until later years, when they became friends again on facebook, and he sent him this book and others. Very good read. I might later read more from mister Outland.
January 28, 2016
I didn't really care much for this book. I think I didn't really like the writing style. The one thing that I have to give total props for is that it was refreshing to not read the minds of teenagers, but instead adult men. So many LGBT books these days are just over teenage lust and it gets annoying to read. This was a legit book with normal characters that happen to be gay. I did enjoy the progression of their interactions but at times the book just moved way too slow. I thought the author did an excellent job of capturing the aftermath of HIV/AIDS.
October 12, 2015
I have to admit that although I was exceptionally moved by this book and read it faster than most of my reads this year, I also wonder about the reality of the story. I can't add anything more without a lot of spoilers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews