Customer Reviews

Uncorked

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I think I can safely predict that Andrew Grey is not going to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. That's sad, because he certainly does know how to create interesting and sympathetic gay male characters and construct a worthwhile plot for them. Nearly six decades ago, when I was deeply involved in the Hardy Boys and the X-Bar-X Boys (and even a bit of Nancy Drew), if I had found Grey's stories of young gays uncertain about themselves and mature gays who create loving and wholesome families, my life might have had a very different trajectory. I haven't counted, but there must be at least a dozen Grey novels out there; I've read this one and one other, and have ordered more. With the mix of generations in his books, there's the danger of tales of pederasty, but it's certainly not present in the two books and reviews of the rest that I've read. Instead, the older ones, like Sean and Sam in this novel, offer a secure environment for the young Bobby and Kenny to define themselves and work through friendship and minunderstandings, and then, love, toward what promises to be an outstanding life-long partnership (just as Sean and Sam have, and there's a prequil novel about that which I've just ordered.) Role models for the life I wish I'd had.

Bobby and Kenny are complex characters, for their primary family backgrounds are quite different, and they even differ in shifting positions of leadership in their own relationship. The novel has a bit of an "edge" to it in that they are "brothers" as the adopted sons of the older pair, yet there isn't any biological connection to accuse them of incest as they find their way into their own loving and physical connection. There's a touch of the Hardy Boys in their story, for much of what brings them together in understanding each other is the task of solving a theft problem during a spring break session of managing Dad Sean's wine shop while the older pair are on vacation. It's also important to stress that the boys have very different career goals, and discovering how to accommodate those disparate goals and build a relationship for themselves is an important aspect of the novel. By the end, the reader is convinced that they'll do it. (And a sequel might be appropriate.)

I wish one thing had been added to the ending. When Bobby and Kenny come back into the art gallery from their private reunion in the city park around the corner, it would have been a great touch to have Bobby's former boyfriend Raphael discovered making final adjustments to a display next to the live video monitor showing the side of Sean's Wine Shop in Milwaukee where Bobby has painted the huge mural that is his final Art College Senior Project. The display would consist of photos documenting the 10 weeks of the the mural's creation. "Who took those???" Bobby shouts. Raphael points to Kenny. It would demonstrate that in conspiring with Raphael to surprise Bobby, Kenny has accepted Raphael as a friend in their lives, and that Kenny has not really been "absent" as Bobby worked through his own creative energies. He has given Bobby "space" to work on his art several times in the novel, and if he had been needed, he would have been there. It's clear the Police Cadet and the Student Artist have a chance at a future together. Yeah, I like it when stories tidy up their happy endings. (And, incidentally, Mr. Grey, Bobby's talents as an artist, and eventual teacher of art, plus Kenny's interest in becoming a policeman who focuses on the problems of children and teenagers is rich, rich ground for that sequel.)

I'm not going to review all of Andrew Grey's books I've read. I love them all; I'm hooked on Andrew Grey. I'm buying as many of his books as I can get.

As a teen, Bobby Bielecki was adopted by Sean, the gay owner of a wine store. Bobby manages to put his horrible childhood behind him and make a new life, with his art and school. In high school, he spends all his time with his best friend, Kenny. When it is time for them to go to college, though, Kenny pushes Bobby away. Bobby's excited when Sean calls to ask him to mind the wine shop with Kenny while Sean and his partner go on vacation. Hoping they can regain their former closeness, Bobby agrees.

Kenny had his reasons for pushing Bobby away, and in his mind nothing has changed. Spending time with Bobby at the store is great, but difficult, as his old feelings come back. Will working together to solve a mystery at the store bring Bobby and Kenny together again?

Uncorked is a sweet tale of two young men who have had tough lives finding a home in each other. Bobby is a caring, devoted friend who would do anything for those he loves. Despite a terrible childhood that made him old beyond his years in some ways, he still has an innocence that gets him hurt at times. Kenny tends to think of others ahead of himself too, to the extent of pushing Bobby away in an attempt to help him. Watching them fumble their way back to each other was sweet. The mystery angle isn't terribly mysterious, but it provides a good way for Bobby and Kenny to work together, and the resolution is interesting. A lot of the characters from Bottled Up make appearances here, which is nice. The point of view is sometimes uneven and isn't balanced between Bobby and Kenny, and there are a few things that are resolved way too easily, but the characters in Uncorked were likeable and engaging enough to keep me reading on to see what would happen next.

Cassie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed