The Tragedy Of Miss Geneva Flowers - Joe Babcock
Pages: 342
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
ISBN: 978-0786715206
NB: If you choose to read this book avoid the Editorial Review on Amazon as it tells too much and will ruin the book for you.
Blurb: Like many gay sixteen year olds, Erick Taylor dreams of being a star. But that's a tall order when you're unpopular, stuck in Catholic school, and your bible-thumping parents make life a holy terror for a closeted gay kid. All of this changes in a snap, however, when Erick meets Chloe, a "grandiloquist" drag queen. With a glam rock makeover and a pair of platform shoes, Erick finds the courage to out himself to the world as Miss Geneva Flowers. Yet his headfirst dive into the fast-lane of dating, clubbing, and crystal-meth comes with a high price. Erick finds himself lost suddenly in his new life, and only his courage and self-love can save him.
Review: I have to admitt that this was a book I brought home purely because of it's title and I didn't read the blurb or I might have thought it wasn't for me. I'm so glad I picked it up though and I can see why it won the Best Self-Published Novel award in 2002.
This book is very much a coming of age classic of the future. It has the universal element of teen angst and confusion combined with the voice of an outsider on the edge of two communities. The novel is set in the 90's and Babcock captures the decade well in terms of culture and social attitudes - the music, party/rave culture, drugs and sexual morals are spot-on. The key here is that the characters draw you in instantly and I was able to hear their voices clearly. Babcock has written Erick warts and all - a self-centered teenager that at times has your sympathy and at others frustrates you. Into his life comes Chloe, and for all the extremes of his character - he too is believeable.
This book takes the reader on a spiralling ride through outsider culture and alternative lifestyles but always in a way that you can relate to. You do need an open mind to get the most from this book and it can be dark at times but nothing is too extreme! It's like the rebellious teenage sister of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert and will leave you wishing we all had a Chloe to help us love ourselves.
Oh, and if anyone is wondering what the last book that made me cry was.......
9/10