Oliver, Jim. Closing Distance. Putnam. Sept. 1992.
c.280p. permanent paper. ISBN 0-399-13767-X. $21.95
[FICTION]
The plot of Oliver's novel is a familiar one--coping with
death and dying within an atypical family. Peter Flowers, a
soon-to-be-40 florist, is grappling with the news of his mother's
breast and brain cancers. Peter's family is a collection of
oddballs--aloof father, yuppie brother, and eccentric sisters.
Determined to help make his strong-willed mother's remaining days
as comfortable as possible, he must also help his siblings cope.
Peter has his own demons as well--fear of loneliness (his last
relationship with an impetuous young man having ended a few
years ago) and worries about his own mortality. Oliver's gift in
storytelling is his impressively meaty, fluid and believeable
dialog. Abounding in positive images of gay relationships, this
novel is a good choice for general and gay fiction collections.
[BOMC alternate].
Kevin M. Roddy, University of Hawai'i at Hilo