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Orgy at the STD Clinic
Todd Tillotson is struggling to move on after his husband is killed in a hit and run attack a year earlier during a Black Lives Matter protest in Seattle.
In this novel set entirely on public transportation, we watch as Todd, isolated throughout the pandemic, battles desperation in his attempt to safely reconnect with the world.
Will he find love again, even casual friendship, or will he simply end up another crazy old man on the bus?
Things don't look good until a man whose face he can't even see sits down beside him despite the raging variants.
And asks him a question that will change his life.
In this novel set entirely on public transportation, we watch as Todd, isolated throughout the pandemic, battles desperation in his attempt to safely reconnect with the world.
Will he find love again, even casual friendship, or will he simply end up another crazy old man on the bus?
Things don't look good until a man whose face he can't even see sits down beside him despite the raging variants.
And asks him a question that will change his life.
- GenresFiction
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 18, 2022
If Todd Tillotson sat next to me on a Seattle city bus while wearing his t-shirt that said “Consenting Adult” on the front and “Just Say Yes” on the back, I’d avoid eye contact with him. However, if I witnessed him breaking up a confrontation by offering to pay a destitute man’s fare, I’d applaud him. For sure, if I got on a bus and saw Todd and another man groping each other in the back, I’d sit as far from them as possible.
Such are the paradoxes of Todd Tillotson, the protagonist of Johnny Townsend’s ribald and raunchy novel, “Orgy at the STD Clinic.” Todd is gay, sixty years old, overweight and diabetic, and works as an assistant manager at a grocery store. Wherever he goes, he takes the bus, which he hates but endures by observing the human menagerie of his fellow passengers. Peoplewatching only briefly deflects his grief, though, for he mourns Brigham, his late husband who was mowed down by an SUV during a Black Lives Matter protest. Riding the bus is Todd’s primary connection to a world that he fears is passing him by.
In particular, he frets that his sex life is over. Todd rides the bus in perpetual cruising mode—ready, willing, and hopefully able to hook up with any cute guy who glances his way. Despite his apprehensions, he scores more than a few carnal victories. The sex scenes are blithely vulgar, involving some brazen and reckless sodomy. Apart from any irony or insights into Todd these passages intend, some folks will find them, well, gross. “Orgy at the STD Clinic” – yes, there is one – is not for the sexually fainthearted.
There’s not much of a plot, just one bus ride and sexual interlude after another, until near the end when Todd embarks on some life changes. Still, the joy of this novel is entering Todd’s mind as he watches the daily vicissitudes of people’s lives on the bus. His sardonic stream of consciousness provides running commentary. He has special disdain for riders violating Covid masking requirements.
Todd sees them all – the homeless, the elderly, the gang bangers, the mentally ill, the ethnic minorities, and men offering sexual favors between stops, and he sees himself in them. Seattle busses are a natural laboratory for sociological research. Despite its lack of any progressive plot, that makes “Orgy at the STD Clinic” worth reading.
Such are the paradoxes of Todd Tillotson, the protagonist of Johnny Townsend’s ribald and raunchy novel, “Orgy at the STD Clinic.” Todd is gay, sixty years old, overweight and diabetic, and works as an assistant manager at a grocery store. Wherever he goes, he takes the bus, which he hates but endures by observing the human menagerie of his fellow passengers. Peoplewatching only briefly deflects his grief, though, for he mourns Brigham, his late husband who was mowed down by an SUV during a Black Lives Matter protest. Riding the bus is Todd’s primary connection to a world that he fears is passing him by.
In particular, he frets that his sex life is over. Todd rides the bus in perpetual cruising mode—ready, willing, and hopefully able to hook up with any cute guy who glances his way. Despite his apprehensions, he scores more than a few carnal victories. The sex scenes are blithely vulgar, involving some brazen and reckless sodomy. Apart from any irony or insights into Todd these passages intend, some folks will find them, well, gross. “Orgy at the STD Clinic” – yes, there is one – is not for the sexually fainthearted.
There’s not much of a plot, just one bus ride and sexual interlude after another, until near the end when Todd embarks on some life changes. Still, the joy of this novel is entering Todd’s mind as he watches the daily vicissitudes of people’s lives on the bus. His sardonic stream of consciousness provides running commentary. He has special disdain for riders violating Covid masking requirements.
Todd sees them all – the homeless, the elderly, the gang bangers, the mentally ill, the ethnic minorities, and men offering sexual favors between stops, and he sees himself in them. Seattle busses are a natural laboratory for sociological research. Despite its lack of any progressive plot, that makes “Orgy at the STD Clinic” worth reading.
February 24, 2023
The title caught my eye at the library so I gave it a shot. I enjoyed the queer, disabled, sex-positive narrator, the Covid setting, and the frequent, decently-written mentions of disability. I stuck with it out of a hope that something would happen, but was disappointed.
I liked the premise (that it's all on public transit) but unfortunately that contributed to its plotlessness and cut off intriguing scenes. For instance, Todd reluctantly agrees to go to a random passenger's house to have tea on the porch (or something), but we don't follow him there or ever hear of it again. Ditto with multiple sexy encounters that are started or hinted at while on the bus.
Do not be fooled by the back cover: "Things don't look good until a man whose face he can't even see sits down beside him despite the raging variants. And asks him a question that will change his life." I legitimately do not know what this refers to. The only interaction that I think it could mean (when a guy asks if he wants a handjob before the next stop) is not an inciting incident or anything.
He says something in the beginning about "why pretend we don't notice strangers' races/skin colors," which is fair, but I found it pretty wearing that he describes (his perception of) the race (and usually age and [binary] gender) of every. Single. Person he encounters (and on transit, that's a lot of people).
Reading Glasses challenge 2023: Book with a disabled protagonist
I liked the premise (that it's all on public transit) but unfortunately that contributed to its plotlessness and cut off intriguing scenes. For instance, Todd reluctantly agrees to go to a random passenger's house to have tea on the porch (or something), but we don't follow him there or ever hear of it again. Ditto with multiple sexy encounters that are started or hinted at while on the bus.
Do not be fooled by the back cover: "Things don't look good until a man whose face he can't even see sits down beside him despite the raging variants. And asks him a question that will change his life." I legitimately do not know what this refers to. The only interaction that I think it could mean (when a guy asks if he wants a handjob before the next stop) is not an inciting incident or anything.
He says something in the beginning about "why pretend we don't notice strangers' races/skin colors," which is fair, but I found it pretty wearing that he describes (his perception of) the race (and usually age and [binary] gender) of every. Single. Person he encounters (and on transit, that's a lot of people).
Reading Glasses challenge 2023: Book with a disabled protagonist
May 22, 2022
if I’m being honest, I don’t really know what I was expecting this book to be. I knew it was about a sixty year old gay man grieving the death of his husband murdered in a protest, but it wasn’t some lyrical literary fiction about grief and growing older and loneliness. Instead, this novel felt like people watching but in book form. no real plot moving it along. It wasn’t even character driven seeing as I can barely remember the main characters name (tommy I realized after checking the back of the book) much less get attached to him. But I think the different people we see and the experienced Tommy has throughout the novel were interesting enough to be somewhat entertaining. I mean at least I finished it, and I can say I somewhat enjoyed myself. might not be reaching for another one of Townsend’s novels anytime soon, however. maybe if I stumble across another I’ll give it a go, but I certainly won’t be seeking it out.
June 22, 2023
I picked up this book about a year ago, mostly based on the cover, in my quest to read more gay-authored books and support a queer bookstore.
Even though this book sat on my shelf for almost a year before I finally read it, I read it too soon after the COVID pandemic. I’m not sure there’s a need for anyone to relive the minutiae of the pandemic. Maybe a good historical read in 20+ years. The main character’s constant fretting about mask-wearing was really tiring after we just lived through this.
For a book about with a fairly misleading title about sex, those scenes were abruptly cut off pretty much every time.
Overall, I’m not really sure if there was a need for this book to be written.
Finally, from the very start of this book, one question started with me throughout: was it really necessary for dozens and dozens of background characters to be described by their race? For a book published in 2022, I can’t find any practical explanation for this.
Even though this book sat on my shelf for almost a year before I finally read it, I read it too soon after the COVID pandemic. I’m not sure there’s a need for anyone to relive the minutiae of the pandemic. Maybe a good historical read in 20+ years. The main character’s constant fretting about mask-wearing was really tiring after we just lived through this.
For a book about with a fairly misleading title about sex, those scenes were abruptly cut off pretty much every time.
Overall, I’m not really sure if there was a need for this book to be written.
Finally, from the very start of this book, one question started with me throughout: was it really necessary for dozens and dozens of background characters to be described by their race? For a book published in 2022, I can’t find any practical explanation for this.
August 23, 2022
This book had a strange title, but the description being about grief interested me, and the book overall lives up to both title and synopsis, even if wasn't truly my thing. This is very much a book set in modern times, dealing with covid, the pandemic and anti-maskers, and it has very little plot... it's the story of Todd wandering the city, after the loss of his partner, the people he encounters (and that definitely turns sexual, more often and more explicit than I expected, which is dumb of me considering the title), often in public transportation, and it's about recovery and loss.
(I received this book through BookSirens in exchange of an honest review)
(I received this book through BookSirens in exchange of an honest review)
May 17, 2022
Loved it! My review will be posted next month at shepherd.com
August 28, 2022
Unfortunately, I was never able to figure out what the function of this book was.
October 8, 2022
Kinda underwhelmed by this book. I liked the concept, but was kinda disappointed how it was worked out (felt too superficial). I do love Todd’s sass though.
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July 1, 2023DNF at 17% - I may come back to this
February 8, 2024
When I came across this book I was incredibly intrigued by the title and after reading the blurb I took it straight to the counter. The premise of the story sounded very appealing to me; an older gay man navigating life without his husband and set entirely on public transport? I was sold. However, I feel like this book lacked a plot. I enjoyed that it was set on public transport at first, but then it meant we missed a lot of important/ interesting events since they took place elsewhere. It felt like there was no substance in the book, just the same guy taking the same buses everyday. Towards the end I seemed to enjoy it a bit more as Todd began to find love again, but I will say I was relieved to finish it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews