Good Boys: A Novel

by Paul Reidinger

Paul Reidinger knows what makes his generation tick, and in this sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and always true new novel, he displays his extraordinary talent. Good Boys spans a decade in the lives of three college pals - good boys all - whose paths cross and recross as they approach thirtysomething still trying to sort out the little disturbances of the tangled webs of friendship, the wheat and chaff of profession, the gilded cage of sex, the slippery meaning of "good" in a world that isn't. As they move along the boundaries of their relationship and of life itself, they find that growing up is not least about the power of secrets, the secrets of permanence, and that indescribable shade of love and desire together. For Michael, it's the ghost of a sexual betrayal that wife, infant son, and professional success can't put to rest. For Drew, it's a private solitude not even he fully understands. For Chris, it's a man who brings him everything he thought he always wanted from life, a dialogue of intimacy that is just starting to make sense, when the black curtain of AIDS falls. For all of them - and for us - it's real life. A masterful novel that resonates with wit and honesty, with erotic possibility and the sharp bite of irony, Good Boys is a dazzling portrait of three young men coming to terms with how their pasts have shaped them - and how the past shapes a future we can all recognize.

Genres: LGBT, Gay Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jaylan Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was pretty good! I could definitly appreciate it as a queer man in 2025 and i wish other queer guys my age could read it so we could talk about it. love the 90s feel of it too. overall super great book

[Gene Rios · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I literally engulfed this book in half a day. I started it on the train ride to work and had it finished by that afternoon. I was completely taken in by Mr. Reidinger's diction control and his intensely introspective writing style. I felt for Chris's plight most of all and empathized deeply All in all, it was a great story that ended a little faster than I wanted, but it's definitely worth the read!!

[Nicolas Chinardet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read two other books by Paul Reidinger, I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, even though it grew on me eventually, I was disappointed by this particular effort.

The beginning was confusing (it turns out that Chris, one of the three main characters, is having a "conversation" with his dead lover, which is not made clear at all until, well, the end of the book), and the flitting timeline of the whole plot is just as baffling. There is little sense of place and even less of time in a story that rather floats, untethered, and not easily reachable.

Considering its themes, such as how decisions made in the past shape people's lives, a simple linear narrative would have been preferable to this jumpy, unclear jumble of achronological and undated scenes. The reader gets quickly lost in the thickets of a story that covers ten years of the lives of three college friends (and their partners), who appear to be going through a mid-life crisis in their 30s.

This makes it difficult to remember who is who; an effect re-enforced by Reidinger's failure to provide background stories to most of his characters (we never even get one for the main protagonists). This, particularly at the beginning, not only makes the plot difficult to follow but is alienating and prevents identification with the characters.

After about a third of the book, things settle down a little and familiarity slowly allows the reader to start enjoying Reidinger's undeniable powers as a thoughtful and engaging writer. He uses his narrative to tackle masculinity, the separation, or lack thereof, between sex and feelings, how our decisions and how we see ourselves shape our lives, and the importance of communication within relationships of any kind. His main preoccupation, however, is, I think, the ultimate and essential loneliness at the heart of the human condition. This would explain why we are ultimately not given the satisfaction of a romantic happy ending between Drew and Chris, even though the possibility of it is hinted at ever more strongly as the book progresses.

Once I managed to get into it, I enjoyed the book, the characters of which are believable, if not all likable, but the confused timeline really marred the experience for me. This is possibly one for die-hard Reidinger fans only.

[Brentin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this three and a half stars if I could. The story was compact, with a nice flow (although I don't personally think it had to be told out of chronological order) and went along at a good pace. Had I read it in the 1990s, or even the early 2000s, it might have been more emotionally impactful.
I did find the characters a bit too much on the stereotypical side. The three main characters weren't perfectly balanced in their spotlight (I'd say it was 40% Chris, 35% Drew, 25% Mike), but that was ok. Sometimes the POV wasn't consistent, however. I do feel like only one of the characters seemed to have their conflict "resolved" by the end of the book. One was left ambiguous and one was left...mostly resolved.
A couple misc notes:
* It was mostly easy to follow the story even if it was out of chronological order, but I think a leading cue at the beginning of the chapter would have been helpful to let us know we went back or forward in time.
* I can't decide if I wanted there to be a happy ending or not. It might have been trite, and it definitely seemed more realistic the way it ended, but a happy ending would have been nice.
* Each one of them got on my nerves in individual ways, but Chris often just seemed whiny.
* The book has a lot of homoerotic subtext where I'm not sure it belongs.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book and I wasn't sure what Reidinger was trying to say here. That you can't go back to the relationships you had with friends in college after college ends? The only character who seemed to be somewhat interesting was Chris although his pining for Drew grew tiresome after awhile. Drew just seemed like an all-around jerk (although I did like the scenes with him and his brother Geoff). And Michael's character felt like a stereotype.

[Cooper T-G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how this book isnt more popular. So amazing easy 5 star.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I owned this book for a long time before I read it. I wish I'd read it sooner. I really enjoyed it. I think it gives excellent insight into how a man comes "out" about being gay and what a homosexual male relationship looks like. Men are a true mystery to me, but this book helped me to peek inside a little more.