Recent History

March 1, 2001
Ticklish issues of sexual identity, class and intimacy wreak frightening confusion in the life of an Italian-American boy growing up in 1960s Massachusetts. In playwright and author Giardina's introspective, finely crafted first-person narrative, 11-year-old Luca Carcera finds his life upended by a series of baffling changes. A sensitive only child who is often frightened by the sounds of his parents' lovemaking, Luca adores his taciturn father, a man who "gave the effect of there being at least two of him, two things not fighting it out so much as living inside of him in some interesting kind of harmony." Luca's father is an accountant who builds his family a new housein a community envisioned as a step up the social ladder. But one year later, he abruptly abandons his wife and son, leaving Luca heartbroken and confused. Eventually, Luca learns that his father is living with another man. By age 13, Luca's relationship with a gay classmate clouds his understanding of his own sexuality. Through high school and college, Luca experiences feelings for girls and boys, but largely represses both. Twelve years later, he is happily married, but still stricken by what his father calls " lovely manly fear that sleeping with a man makes you something. Something irrevocable... if a man even once, and, God forbid, likes it... well, that's it, isn't it?" Now that fear threatens his marriage, and Luca must delve deeper into his personal history to find a saving peace. Giardina (The Country of Marriage; A Boy's Pretensions; Men with Debts) draws the reader into Luca's life with a candid, insightful narrative that probes important subtleties of identity and honesty, although the occasional withholding of information for dramatic effect seems too manipulative a technique for this otherwise frank exploration. 5-city author tour.

January 1, 2001
In his new novel, Giardina builds on the exploration of marriage and divorce he began in The Country of Marriage. Here, 12-year-old Luca's parents divorce when his father comes out as a gay man; years later, after Luca marries Gina, he begins to doubt his own sexuality. Like many boys, he fears he may grow up to be like his father. And like many, he does, only not as expected. Finally, Luca learns to accept his sexual nature (heterosexual) and to live free of fear and restraint. Giardina is a gifted storyteller; at times, his tightly controlled art shows, but it doesn't matter because his story is so very compelling. Details about the setting are spare and at times seem obviously chosen, but the plot has a sure, subtle logic of its own, which makes this work artistically interesting. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries, especially for collections of gay literature.--Roger Durbin, Univ. of Akron

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2001
The photograph on the cover of Giardina's new novel shows a man with outstretched arms holding a baby. The baby is smiling, yet in the same purse of the nose it appears to be upset and on the verge of sobbing. The emotional uncertainty expressed in the photograph is the perfect depiction of 11-year-old Luca, the confused main character of the novel, whose father has suspiciously moved out of the family's new house. From here an exploration begins as Giardina delves into the mysterious world of human sexuality: A husband meets a man, a boy encounters a boy, and a wife courts a man who is not hers. The chapters are tight stories unto themselves and, like the characters of the novel, seem to feel their way through the murky indecision and fright of sensuality. Despite the skillful manner in which Giardina allows the novel to mature, the complex themes are never resolved, almost as if they are too ubiquitous and must be dealt with at arm's length.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)