esrosedotblog

I have just finished a great novel about a niche of life that was totally new to me.

And, I have just finished a wonderful time as a young expat.

I also just finished a delightful story about a young gay man finding himself in a rich relationship where the language barrier even enhances the joy in it.

I have also just finished a book that tells of a unique and bygone time when the Czechs found themselves free of the "yoke of communism". And Prague! One of the main characters in

Necessary Errors by Caleb Crain

Jacob goes to Prague for a year of exploration just after graduation from college and finds that he is not the only young man or woman who has the idea that the newly formed republic is a place to be, to become, to be able to find a handle on his grown up life.

So he finds some friends, a network of energetic young men and women, who share the adventure of talking talking talking with each other and also engaging with the "locals" in their own ways.

Jacob, determined not to sink into being part of an ex-pat pack ventures outside the group. As a gay man, he has some exploration to do unique to him. His nice adventures in the "underworld" of gay life give him a reason and a venue to look into himself as he finds interesting ways to spend his time and grab onto the flavor of the life he wants. Of course this involves some "necessary errors" none of which are traumatic or earthshaking for him and therefore even more valuable.

Eventually he finds a Czech man, Milo. Or rather, Milo finds him. Finding each other.

They have a quick rapport and actually have fun together. I mean they enjoy each other's company in a way that captures all the thrills and little spills of a gay relationship and its unique differences from the little chorus of straight people's experience happening in the background. Any gay man who comes out to join his community will attest to the fact that there is a quality of life which is not available any other way. Peers, point of view, partners in other than sexual matters. Gay relationships have their own unique rhythm and beat. Crain has caught it exactly here. I identified so much with it all.

To say the novel is low key undermines its purpose, I think, which is to be refreshingly reflective about the inner life of any young person. Jacob's circumstances simply enhance the process and allow Crain to make observations about this exciting period of a country's life, a group of young people's lives and mostly for Jacob himself who, on a limited leave from being an American on his way to graduate school finds a way to reset his expectations and self respect in ways that make a very happy, fulfilling reading experience.

Another very interesting aspect of this novel is that Crain has a website Steamboats are Ruining Everything" which, among other things, features, now, a set of photos of the city, the life, the experience that might be included in an illustrated version of the book. Contemporary photos of Prague, even a photo of a ticket to a gay bar which involves a hilarious set of misunderstandings in the book, is included. Charming. It has kept the reading alive for me in the days following a "sad to finish this" ending.

Labels: books