Good Boys

by Paul Reidinger

Book Overview

First published in 1993, Paul Reidinger's third novel spans a decade in the lives of three college friends whose paths cross and recross as they approach their thirties still trying to sort out the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452272203
• ISBN13: 9780452272200
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The loves and lives of three college friends

Good Boys follows the lives of three guys, Chris, Drew, and Michael, from when they meet at college and become best friends through to their thirties. While they go their separate ways after graduation their lives cross at various times as they keep in touch, and finally meet together again. Michael and Drew had eventually settled down. However Chris unbeknown to his two companions at that time is gay, and in love with Drew, although he dare not reveal his feelings. Chris moves to California, has his first sexual experience with Wade. He also becomes involved with David, through whom he meets Carl, and older man. Chris and Carl settle down as partners. Drew becomes a lawyer and becomes involved with Dana, but his life is not without problems. They separate, and Drew finally confronts some of his taboos. Michael becomes a doctor, marries and has a son, but then questions whether he is the father, and also tries to come to terms with other worries. The story weaves in and out and back and forth rather confusingly as we follow their lives, and covers their progress, loves, and tragedies, including the spectre of AIDS. While an interesting and heart warming story, with plenty of irony, I found it difficult to keep track of where we were at any given time.

Real Life Drama

GOOD BOYS is an exceptional novel by Paul Reidinger. The focus of the book is on three college boys who are best friends, and follows their life until 10 years later, when they recross each other's paths, as they deal with the happenings in their life. Meet Chris. He is a man who is gay, only his friends Drew and Michael don't know that he is. He loves Drew, but can't act upon his feelings. He moves to California. He meets Wade, who is his first time. As well he becomes involved with David, another college chum. When he is invited to a party by David, he meets Carl, an older man who he falls in love with. Carl brings him everything he needs from life, a dialogue of intimacy which is beginning to make sense. Chris' life is thrown into a whirlwind when he learns that Carl is dying of AIDS, and then ultimately dies. In the end he stays friends with Wade and David, they've all slept together but still manage to have a friendship like no other.Meet Drew. He is a lawyer who believes he has everything in life. He fell in love with Dana, who he thought was quite similar but was actually quite different. They butted heads over issues like marriage, commitment, and more. She left him, and he never quite got over it. He struggles with a private solitude not even he fully understands. He is dealing with his brother Geoff's sexuality, later realizing he may have these desires as well. The irony of the situation presents itself when he has a sexual encounter with Wade, the same man that Chris had his first gay sexual encounter with. The irony lying in that fact, and that Chris secretly desired Drew.Meet Michael. His parents want him to become a doctor, and he receives his PhD. In college he meets Meredith, who he falls madly in love with. They get married, and have a son. The son in question though, Michael believes is a result of her affair with his ex roomate Joe. Years before he had an affair with Dana, Drew's girlfriend, and he can't quite shake her out of his head. He feels unsatisfied by his career, and is uncertain of his ability as a father or a husband.This novel resonates with honesty, and quite a bit of irony. In the end they are all still friends, sure there are secrets of their betrayals, but they are still as close as they were in college. GOOD BOYS is a portrait of three young men coming to terms with how the past has shaped who they are, and a future that we can all recognize.