Orientation: A Novel About Reincarnation and Love
Rick R. Reed
Reviewed by Araminta Matthews
I have never read a romance novel. Can't stand the idea of
them. I am of the theory that romance novels are for the
romance-less, a commodity I have thankfully never been
without. Rick Reed's Orientation is a romance novel, but it is
unlike anything I ever imagined romance novels could be. It is a
feminist testimony, it is an earthquake to the infrastructure of
stereotyped sexuality, and it is a blessing to believers in an infinite
universe.
Let me begin by explaining that, as a member of the GLBTQ (Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queerstioning) community, I am often
on the hunt for literature that I can relate to – that is, literature
with a GLBTQ lifestyle theme or slant that captures my interest.
For me, the mark of truly great GLBTQ fiction is that it is a story
first with queer characters second. So much of this "specialized
literature" expresses its characters as though being gay is the only
thing that happens in a gay person's life, when in fact, being gay is
just one small pebble in the riverbed of a person's entire soul.
People are more than just their sexualities, and there is much more to
life than with whom a person chooses to be intimate. Rick Reed's
novel, Orientation, succeeds. The characters are not just
homosexual stereotypes living a cliché life. They are
real, believable, and whole, and they are engaged in a plot deeper than
just their "coming out" or their "queeritude". And the story is
as eerie as it is romantic.
The story begins in Christmas with Robert watching heart-breakingly
over his lover, Keith, as he begins his journey toward death; moves
through a Christmas stroll along the beach and a suicide intervention
with a young lesbian, Jess; and culminates with a metaphysical reunion
during the Christmas of 2007 with both Robert and Jess and the spirit
of lovers past.
In spite of its fantastical plot, I never once felt like this story was
contrived. I believed from moment one that everything Reed
presented was not only possible, but plausible. That slippery
veil that separates the reality of the reader from the fantasy of the
story hung silkily over my eyes for every, single word I
swallowed. The dialogue was real and engaging. The
characters were whole and every one of them completely realized.
The plot was poetic and emotional. The conclusion was the
correct, heady mix of triumphant resolution with the characters'
closure and bittersweet disappointment with the ending of a very good
book. The good news is Reed has more books that I can read, and I
can only imagine that his other novels are equally as deft and crafty
as this.
In final words, let me express my excitement about this
discovery. GLBTQ world, listen up! This author, Rick Reed,
is the real deal. He tells the real stories. He challenges
the myth that sexual orientation is fixed or stationary when it is more
likely on an ever-changing scale. He shakes open myths about
gender roles, and he reinvents the wheel of the romance novel.
Thanks to Rick Reed, we are no longer stuck with tired coming out
stories and floundering clichés.