Two Boys Kissing

The book opens with a chorus in the style of ancient Greek plays: As one unified voice, the gay men who died during the 1980s AIDS crisis will narrate the novel and observe the characters. The chorus now watches the relative freedom of the novel’s contemporary queer youth in awe: “As we become the distant past, you become a future few of us would have imagined” (1). The chorus follows the experiences of eight gay and transgender teenagers, beginning on a Friday night. Neil Kim goes to his boyfriend Peter’s house to hang out. Tariq Johnson goes dancing in a city two hours from his home. Cooper Riggs is alone in his room, seeking connection through men on dating websites. Cooper adopts the persona of whatever he thinks will be attractive to the men he’s chatting with—interactions that are more for distraction than enjoyment. He still hasn’t completely accepted his sexual orientation. The chorus empathizes, “We know that some of you are still scared. We know that some of you are still silent. Just because it’s better now doesn’t mean that it’s always good” (5).