Lessons from Cruising: Stories

by Martin Goodman

An assembly of tales, from Britain, the USA, and the seas in between, explore different expressions of the gay male experience.

The Lovely Life of Arnold drops into the life of New York fashionista Arnold, in seven-year leaps from the age of seven to forty-two. From birth, Arnold's parents knew their family was perfect and complete, because nothing could be better than a gay son.

Lessons from Cruising sees an Asian schoolteacher link up with a multi-millionaire businessman one early morning, by the Thames. They head out on the rich man's yacht, in the company of the rich man's son and friend.

Billy Captain Vere's Account reprises Herman Melville's Billy Budd, but for the first time takes the reader inside the stateroom on the ship, where the captain confronts Billy with the verdict of the courtroom.

Genres: Queer, Short Stories, LGBT, Dark, Gay

168 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[ancientreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to think the overall low GR rating for this book has to do with reviewers being confused by it or unhappy with the emotional tone of the stories or maybe feeling misled by the title, because however else I respond to these short stories -- and I didn't exactly "like" or "enjoy" some of them -- it was always clear that Martin Goodman was up to something that was well worth my attention.

Especially challenging were the stories that make up "The Lovely Life of Arnold," set in a world where being gay is celebrated -- but the result feels dystopian. Perhaps it also feels dystopian to Arnold, who in "India, By Design," is found living in a cave. I'm not sure what to say about the Arnold stories except that they're unnerving.

Most of the others feel more grounded in the world as I know it and so land on the square marked "emotionally moving" rather than the one marked "disorienting." "Puffins in Flight" and "Billy Budd: Captain Vere's Account," maybe "Lessons from Cruising," might be the most inviting to start with; Goodman's take on Billy Budd left me in tears.

I think the best approach, if you're reading these stories, is to set aside any expectations you may happen to have formed, whether from the cover photo, from the title, or from reviews, including this one. I think, also, that it helps to take one's time; I read the stories one by one over the course of a couple of weeks, because I needed a little recovery time between them.

Thanks to Barbican Press and NetGalley for the ARC, in default of which I would almost certainly have missed this strange and wonderful book.

[endrju · Rating 4 out of 5]

The impossible has happened - I liked a short story collection. The strength of the collection lies in the thread of stories about Arnold strung across the collection and especially on the immense queer joy of those stories. The first one in particular is so disorientingly queer-centric, grounded in an affirmation of joyous queer existence, that it reminded me of James Bidgood's 1971 film Pink Narcissus because of its queer solipsism, for want of a better word. That feeling stayed with me until the end of the collection, and that is something that rarely happens.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joke’s on me, because I picked up this ARC for the last story, a retelling of Billy Budd from Captain Vere’s point of view. I figured I’d sample the rest; instead I went down the buffet line and inhaled them all. Rarely do I like every story in a short story collection, but that’s what Goodman’s done to me.

The cover and title are not helping the book find its audience, as indicated by the low ratings and confused reviews. I expected stoic litfic a la Garth Greenwell; instead there’s surrealism, hilarity, dream states, spec fic and fantasy, myth retellings, and my favorite story: the disillusioned Anglican vicar Alan, writing letters from Tarsus and Antioch, heretically following the footsteps of St. Thekla and St. Paul. The writing buzzes with life, surreal, queer in every sense of the word, delightful.

[Allen Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the interrelated short stories that followed our protagonist Arnold, I found the other stories to be a mixed bag. The stories centering around Arnold and his parents were quite interesting, particularly in how Arnold’s gayness was heralded by everyone. It was a nice foil to the stereotypical parent response to their child being gay. I’m afraid the other stories left me scratching my head. The title Lessons from Cruising and cover art don’t feel like an accurate representation of the actual content. 2.5 rounded up.

I received an advance copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Márcio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing a story requires more than the desire to tell it. It also requires the author's technical and personal capacity, but also a theme that appeals to the reader, besides its development.

Martin Goodman is undoubtedly a good and skilled writer, but I couldn't feel connected to these stories, except for "Letters to Parishioners", "Queenie and the Boy", and to some extent "Lessons from Cruising"; they made me feel like they could reach beyond the pages of the book, besides the fact that they exhale a sense of humanity.

On the other hand, though I could understand the motivation for Arnold's many stories in the book, they easily got worn off, plastic-like, and were some I least liked.

Thanks NetGalley for having provided me with a copy of the book.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this book because Ancientreader loved it and I trust her.

Much like when I read poetry, I feel ill-equipped to properly review this book of short stories.

The whole thing starts with a what?! I decided to keep an open mind and I'm glad I stuck with it. The whole thing is quite trippy TBH but it was clear to me that the author was doing something with these stories. And while I didn't always know exactly what, thematically I was definitely picking up what he was putting down.

The tone of these stories was kind of grim and dark with notes of joy and hope but overall real despite being reality-adjacent/fantastical at times.

I can see the art and skill in the stories and I suspect on re-read, I would find endless depths but the truth is that I prefer spending more time in joy when I'm reading and this collection is not that.

Until the last two stories, I was leaning toward a strong four stars but the ending was so strong and the overall rating is so low, that I'm rounding up.

Content notes for some dark stuff: clearly some mommy issues, death of a pet, cancer, physical violence leading to death and more.

I received a digital Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley and Barbican Press in exchange for an honest review.

[Samantha Mohun · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lessons from Cruising is a collection of short stories that ultimately looks at connection. The stories cover several topics ranging from family relationships, love, grief, sexuality & acceptance, and friendship. For me, short stories are some of my favorite to read. I love to examine a moment in time that can seem ordinary, but are usually far from it. For this particular book, I really enjoyed:

- I LOVE the LGBTQ+ representation!!! It is soooo needed for people to see themselves represented/expand their world view.
- There were a few lines that really had me like “I’ve already met your parents,’ he said before I brought him home. ‘You’ve repeated all the rubbish they’ve ever said.’ That indeed stopped me in my tracks in the best way. There were other moments that conveyed tender, human connection as well as the stressful miscommunications that we have.

However, I did feel that these stories did fall short for me for a few reasons:

- The best part about a short story collection is that you feel connected to characters. I found some of these characters…interesting. For example, in Arnold’s story (who is the only character who gets several short stories) I could not get over how…strange his parents were. I had such a hard time wrapping my head around the way they spoke and treated their son - and I’m not talking about their admiration/acceptance for their son, I’m talking about the c*m jar that his dad “celebrates” and them (from what I understood) picking a partner for Arnold. It didn’t exactly resonate with me. There were several other lines in this book that took me out of the reading experience as well (“He slips on good manners like he slips on condoms, not because they suit him but because they make life safer”). Lastly, I struggled to believe that a priest would be so candid with their parishioners. I could see the value in his honesty, but wow.



I read this book through Netgalley.

[SamB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit to being immediately turned off this collection by the very first story. While a celebration of queer joy and a juxtaposition of typical parental attitudes towards having a gay son, I found it just *too* weird to really get into. The same was generally true for the other Arnold stories that are threaded through this collection, with the exception of the one in which his boyfriend is a competitor in the Olympics, which I found very touching.

The other stories are more of a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the title story, tracking the relationship between a wealthy man and the poor teacher he meets while out cruising, and I loved the story of Queenie, the elderly woman released from hospital during Covid and the young man she meets on the streets of Glasgow while navigating her way home. Others followed the pattern of the Arnold stories and were just too weird for me - often in the short story form, the language and quality of the writing can make up for an opaque plot, but sadly that wasn't the case here. And then there were times where I felt I would have got more out of the collection if I was more widely read - I know I didn't get as much out of the final story as I would if I were familiar with Moby Dick.

A qualified recommendation - some highlights here, but ultimately I look back at the stories two weeks after reading in order to write this review, and there's several I have absolutely no memory of. I think in many cases the oddness of the content and the opacity of the writing meant the stories completely passed me by.

With thanks to Netgalley and Barbican Press for copy provided in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Miona]

The subject is very interesting and I like it very much, but the representation, élaboration etc ...are not impressive :-)

[J Kromrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Well, this novel is a certainly memorable celebration of diversity.

Martin Goodman’s collection of stories, “Lessons from Cruising,” invite readers to embark on a voyage through diverse (extreme, in many cases) expressions of the gay male experience. These stories are set against the backdrop of Britain, the USA, and the seas in between.

“The Lovely Life of Arnold”: In this captivating narrative, we follow New York fashionista Arnold through seven-year leaps, from age seven to forty-two. Goodman deftly captures the nuances of Arnold’s life, revealing how his identity as a gay man shapes his journey. The story celebrates the beauty of authenticity and the power of acceptance.

However, Arnold's extreme celebration of his sexuality (not his identity, but rather an obsession with the intimate details of his member size and his sex life) were for me, decidedly cringe-worthy. A jar where their family "stuff is stored", gross! Yeah, the point the author is trying to make about contrasts, I get it, but it goes down the road to a degree which is disgusting, and that point, I do not get.

“Lessons from Cruising”: Against the early morning Thames backdrop, an Asian schoolteacher unexpectedly connects with a multi-millionaire businessman. Their shared adventure aboard the rich man’s yacht becomes a metaphor for life’s unexpected encounters. Goodman’s prose illuminates the complexities of desire and connection.

“Billy Budd: Captain Vere’s Account”: A Melvillian twist awaits readers in this reimagining of Herman Melville’s classic. Goodman takes us inside the ship’s stateroom, where Captain Vere confronts Billy Budd with the courtroom’s verdict. The emotional depth and vivid imagery make this story a standout.

“Lessons from Cruising” is wide-ranging in subject, mood, and tone. Goodman’s attention to detail and empathetic insight elevate some moments, even though I am gay, it just wasn't my cuppa, could be yours.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lessons from Cruising: Stories" by Martin Goodman sounded like a strange and wonderful collection. And strange it was!

Arnolds story was wild, the first part, him being 7 and 14, for sure. I am unsure if I read a utopian version of a world which celebrates gay as something super special or if it’s some kind of cult with child abuse which shakes me to the core. I am not sure of it’s my lack of understanding the subtle notes bc I am no native English speaker, but the first story really didn’t feel right to me. Maybe it’s intentional, maybe there is no “right” way of reading all these stories. What’s true though is, that this collection is “remarkably wide-ranging in subject, mood and tone”. This part and the LGBTQIA+ part was, what got me into reading this one in the first place.

The other stories were strangely beautiful and bizarre. The liar who makes up stories so he himself stays hidden in the shadows and “bc you tell lies out of self-interest. You tell stories to entertain.” The son who tries to find a good memory to tell his ill mother, but only find ones that seem coloured the wrong shade, bc in a world where kindness came in such a steady flow the cruel ones stood out. The old woman ("Queenie & the Boy” which was my favourite) who survived Covid and finds an unexpected new friend and blueberries…

And as much as I want to really like this collection, bc I want to support LGBTQIA+ books and writers, the stories with queer characters had a bitter taste for me. Ofc there should be these kind of stories too, but I disliked especially the short story “lessons from cruising”, bc of how poc were described and in a way fetishized. So I am not sure if I can recommend this, but the truth also is, that all the stories stayed with me and kept me thinking. They touched me and that´s a quality of written art that means something.

Thanks to Barbican Press and NetGalley for the ARC, I still enjoyed this strange and wonderful book!

[Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird, uneven short-story collection. I was intrigued by the premises of some of the stories, but as the case with most short-story collections I read, some stories are much stronger than others. The stories that I want more from end abruptly, and the ones I don't like seem to linger on for too long. The author's writing style is highly abstract and ephemeral, and many times, I didn't understand anything that was being conveyed over multiple pages. The running storylines concerning "Arnold" started interestingly enough in a gay, utopic sense, but later devolved into gibberish that I couldn't really follow until the last entry. Some standout stories were the titular one, an age-gap romance and possibly my favorite out of the entire collection; "Queenie & the Boy," a quaint COVID-19 story involving an elderly cat lady and a young boy who befriends her; and the final story, a gripping take on Herman Melville's "Billy Budd" from Captain Vere's perspective. Other than that, the stories were wildly meandering and plodding. As much as I actively strive to support LGBTQIAP+ content, I'm unsure what the end goal was here. I very much disliked how the author fetishized dark, male bodies. Numerous typographical errors throughout. I'd also argue that calling this collection "Lessons From Cruising" creates a negative connotation that I'd guess might offend certain segments of the buying audience, which might then be offset by the audience that it ultimately attracts. Not sure if this decision was made by the author or the publisher, but any title representing queer coming-of-age would have sufficed instead.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Barbican Press for ARC access.

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this collection from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review:

This collection is more difficult to review concretely for reasons two-fold: 1) I can entirely visualize the intention behind the compilation of the collection, from organization to prose, and I can see the distinct care with how each story and character is formed; 2) the intention and execution make for a disjointed, yet still compelling read.

Throughout the book, I felt slightly rebuffed from the stories, as though I was physically being held back from the narratives and the characters with a pre-disposed sense of distance. The composition of several stories, framed as though slightly hanging out of joint, made for a compelling read that was difficult to put down, but at the same time, made me incredibly aware of my act of reading rather than simply enjoying the art of it. The display of the characters and their struggles to fit in and figure out their own place in each of their own stories was interesting with each new and interconnected story, but when I found I could not keep up in attention with the main, echoic story of Arnold, the collection began to dysfunction for me.

I remain incredibly happy for the exposure to such a piece that I certainly would not have found on my own, and I enjoyed the different reading experience it provided. I think my most sincere reservations most center around my feeling that readers were prompted to be too far removed from the pieces themselves. My feelings surrounding the collection remain a bit complicated and muddled, which reflects how I often felt jumping from piece or piece within the collection.

[Vladimir · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no doubt that Martin Goodman knows his stuff. I found his prose poetic and dreamy. But, are "Lessons from Cruising" my cup of tea? Nope. No. Nuh-ah. And the author has Barbican Press to thank for that, and their ludicrous decision to choose this title with this book cover.

If any of the stories stood out, it was Melville's Billy Budd retelling, but mostly because it's stylistically different then the others. It is interesting as a morbid curiosity, but nothing more than that. Couple of stories about Arnold were strings of beautiful words failing to work together in sentences, but with theme surreal enough to make you feel like in some kind of fairy tale gay haze. And when it tries to be grounded, again, it fails because it was not what was promised to be. No twists, just disappointment.

Short story that gave its name for the book was atmospherically grounded, and if I had to choose this would be my favorite one. But not like favorite favorite. I just disliked that one the least. The rest of the stories were uninteresting pain for my soul, or they just went straight over my head.

I feel these stories are very pretentious and that Goodman went out of his way to create something worthy of esteemed literary magazines as a showcase of his talents. But if I feel this way reading them - it doesn't seem genuine.

I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC, I chose it myself, I'll escort myself out to another reading adventure.

[Carl (Hiatus. IBB in Jan) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Goodman's Lessons from Cruising is a collection of short stories that explore gay identity and love. The characters are diverse in age and experience, but I found it hard to connect with any of them. The collection opens with 'The Lovely Life of Arnold' and follows Arnold from childhood to adulthood as he navigates his sexuality and relationships. Other stories explore themes of loss, coming out, and gay love.

Goodman's writing captures the nuances of gay life with sensitivity and insight. The stories are light-hearted, yet they are also poignant and thought-provoking. However, the book does not explore the act of cruising, which is misleading, and there is no sexually explicit content (zero spice). Goodman's characters are well-described, but I sometimes found them uninteresting or dull.

Lessons from Cruising was not for me. I found the title misleading, and the book's structure gave me the impression the author had written a novella with some short stories sewn in between the novella's chapters, spoiling for me as they added very little to the book. Perhaps if it had a different title, it would be more successful. Even though the book was not for me, it is still a good collection of stories that celebrates the diversity of gay love and identity.

Many thanks to Barbican Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2.5 stars (rounded to 3 stars)

[The Bibliophile Doctor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lessons from Cruising by Martin Goodman

I tried so hard to like this book. I had requested it coz the cover. And then title. But I'm disappointed. These short stories hardly made any sense to me. The stories that had Arnold were the weirdest one. The writing was off and did not work for me. It left me wondering if I was even able to understand what writer wanted to say and till the end I understood nothing about it.

All Stories are LGBT characters centered and I personally feel that it is such an important topic in the current situation we are in and yet the book fails to leave a mark or impress even. The writing is confusing and I just couldn't make sense. It felt like watching a very boring and blend episode of black mirror where everyone is weird, eccentric and abnormal. Here's an example "He slips on good manners like he slips on condoms, not because they suit him but because they make life safer". Huh?? I showed it to my husband and he went what are even reading? Coz seriously what is that?

Thank you Netgalley and Barbican press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

[Norbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this on a whim browsing the shelves of a bookshop based on the title and blurb, hoping for some interesting stories about the queer experience. It definitely wasn't what I expected!

The Arnold narrative was so... strange. I don't know what else to say. I felt little sympathy for his character when the stories were so unrealistic, but there were moments of beauty.

Queenie's story was touching and probably my favorite, but felt only tangentially on-theme.

These stories might be interesting to spark discussions for a queer reading group, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a pleasure read.

I'm not sure if it was just my copy (a physical paperback) but there were quite a lot of typographical errors - words with no spacebetween them, a character saying "The show must go one," etc. I tried not to let that influence me but it added to the impression that the stories weren't put together thoughtfully.

[Haxxunne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting but uneven collection of gay short stories

The title story is indicative of most of this uneven collection of short stories focused on (mostly) gay protagonists: in Lessons in Cruising, a Tamil man describes the non-romantic romance with his rich, white boyfriend, from inception to going on holiday with the man's son. Told in staccato bursts of prose in a distanced, opaque style. the title story and the others, including a psychedelic thread of utopian shorts relating the decades of a gay romance, epitomise my dislikes of short stories: sudden endings without revelation or action; characters that are nothing more than sketches; worlds that are flimsy and half-built. The best is the retelling of Billy Budd, saved for last but still with a whiff of unfinished narrative expectation.

One star.

[Marko Mravunac · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Foolishly, I went into this not fully aware that it was a short story collection. I really liked the Lessons from Cruising one and I kind of hoped we would get more of that later on. The Arnold stories were very interesting, but overall I found no cohesion in the collection and could not enjoy it as much as I would have liked to.

I do have to add that everyone disliking this short story collection and the Arnold stories maybe simply did not get it?? Because some of the reviews I’ve read simply make no sense; the parents are “weird” for a reason, it’s a world reimagined where being gay is not “weird” or “shameful,” but something to be celebrated. The author then took it to an extreme and made another dystopia from this utopia, but I feel like some readers did not get it at all.

[Owais · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of short stories with one of them appearing and continuing after every few, this collection was interestingly strange. With queer themes, it starts off well but then these stories descend into abstracted prose, and not the magical realism kind, that makes it difficult for me to follow. I found myself going huh, okaaay then, what… The one story that keeps appearing again and again of our protagonist Arnold, comes across as disjointed episodes within life rather than a continuous narrative with the format letting it down.

Thank you NetGalley and barbican press for eARC in exchange of an honest review

[Anthony Holliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story collection really surprised me mostly in two ways. The first being that it does not necessarily have anything to do with cruising lol. The second was how poorly reviewed it is on Goodreads. I thought the prose was smart and dynamic and had lots to say with little quips. I enjoyed almost every story in this collection which is often hard to say about a short story collection. The through line of the Arnold stories also were welcome to keep consistency and I even shed a tear during the last one.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Lessons from Cruising. I’m going to go back and read it again because some stories were hard to get my head around, like, what was that I just read! The stories are a mixture of weird and heart wrenching. I especially enjoyed When toffee-apples turn to juice and Lessons from cruising. I found The loving room to be weird and creepy.

[Elin Isaksson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like what the author was doing and I found it very unique! The first couple of stories really blew me away but as it went on I found myself more and more confused and by the end I was struggling. My favorites are definitely "Lessons from Cruising" and the Arnold-saga.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the e-arc!

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 9 of 15 short stories are amazing, but the magic is shattered, and the charm fails for the last batch of stories. Four of the stories follow the life of Arnold and provide a theme or connection to the book. At least, that's how I was affected.

I would recommend reading Martin Goodman on the weight of his best stories.

[Chris Kauzlarich · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s really 2.5. It was a short collection but took me quite some time as I couldn’t really get into or connect with the stories. The title gives a very different perception of what the stories really seem to center around also. Overall this one wasn’t for me.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many collections of stories, it's a mixed bag. I almost wish for an entire novel of Arnold where Goodman could expand his supporting characters.

*I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review of the book

[Andrew Sabonis-Chafee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine collection. Some beautiful prose making up for the lack of excitement and some forgettable stories. The Arthur series was particularly engaging, and my favorite was Letters to the Parishoners.

[Sam Bayfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry but I didn’t overly vibe with this like I was hoping to. A couple decent stories, but nothing gripped me or really made me feel anything. I expected more.
I thought I’d get through this in a couple days as it’s rather short, but I found myself struggling to get through it.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Arnold’s story and I wish I had more of it.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc!

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHENOMENAL loved every bit of this, Arnold was insane, he traversed time, born in the future and aged into the past. 2083-2003 ill say