Against Tokenism Part 3; Johnny Diaz’s hispano-homo SATC

BOOK REVIEW — First time author Johnny Diaz writes for the Fire Island-Providencetown set. His debut novel, Boston Boys Club, tracks the lives of three gay men. The central character, Tommy Perez, is a young, gay, Cuban-American journalist (not unlike Diaz) who’s recently moved to Boston from Miami. He and his friends hang out at Club Café—Boston’s only gay bar—tame by any standard. “A perpetual rerun episode of Sex in The City,” Club Café hosts no back room; no drugs; no sex in bathrooms; just lots of Madonna, Beyonce, and Diet Cokes. Diaz is a journalist, so he’s careful to translate almost every Spanish word and every gay pop-culture reference to the point of distraction. “Sopa de pollo” means chicken soup, “familia” means family. He pauses to tell us what Twinks and Tops are. (!!!)

And his literal descriptions feel like product placements. Rico takes out his Urban Outfitters wallet. He cleans cum stains with Bounty paper towels. Mickey drives a Toyota Matrix. Kyle wipes his face with blue Martha Stewart towels. And everyone wears J. Crew shoes. As far as role models go, Tommy is stellar. He never gets drunk or makes a fool of himself. He never engages in meaningless sex. He works out regularly. He doesn’t curse or lose his cool or show frustration. He’s a clean-cut, tuck-in-your-shirt kind of guy, and perhaps that’s the novel’s greatest flaw. Tommy is too perfect, so perfect it’s hard to enjoy his company. By the end you wish Diaz had taken more risks. Still, there’s something about Tommy that’s endearing. He’s a regular guy looking to find the right one. Of the five, Boston Boys Club is the one you want to be seen with at your summer share. The cover is as sexy as the author is handsome.

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