What Love Means to You People

By NancyKay Shapiro

Book Overview

A powerful debut about a young man whose denial of his past nearly destroys the new life he seeks ? Shaking off his hellish adolescence in a nowhere Nebraska town (and leaving a beloved younger sister to fend for herself in the same hostile environment), Seth McKenna escapes to make a new reality for himself as a struggling artist in Manhattan. When he falls hard for Jim Glaser, an alluring older man who is astonished to find in Seth the second love of his life, it seems simpler to gloss over his old life in Drinkwater and the history he used to have. Jim, who expected to remain alone forever, is happy to start over, too, and theirs becomes a tender, sexy romance. Although Seth seems to have successfully put his past behind him to become the man he wants to be---the kind of man Jim can cherish---his childhood rushes back unexpectedly and with a vengeance. When Seth's sister, Cassie, arrives in the city with significant secrets and plans of her own, Drinkwater's intractable demands force Seth to revisit his hidden past. What Jim learns about Seth's concealments threatens to destroy their new life together. An engrossing contemporary drama of family ties both imposed and chosen, What Love Means to You People presents an indelible, illuminating look at the survival of the human spirit through willful reinvention and the power of love. Advance Praise for What Love Means to You People "A powerful debut novel--smart, sexy, and highly readable. NancyKay Shapiro's characters are subtly observed and movingly human."--Regina McBride, author of The Marriage Bed "Profound and moving. Shapiro dares to reimagine suffering and takes us on a journey to love and back. Seth McKenna will get under your skin. I am touched."--Abha Dawesar, author of Babyji "NancyKay Shapiro's debut is a powerful and knowing look at what can happen to love when the past bubbles up into the present. Elegantly written, this is a moving and surprising novel that doesn't let you go."--Katharine Weber, author of The Little Women, The Music Lesson, and Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312347898
• ISBN13: 9780312347895
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Couldn't put it down!

This is one of those books that's so well written, with such a compelling story and characters you really care about that you just want to race through it and see what happens - to see if what you hope will happen happens - but, at the same time, you want to slow down and take breaks so the experience doesn't end too soon. Even so, I read it in two days. Once you hit the last third when everything comes to a head for Seth & you just want Jim to know the whole truth, forget it! I defy you to stop reading right to the end.

Bravo, Shapiro!

This story grabbed me from page one and holds onto me still even after I've finished the book. Jim Glaser at 42, a well to do ad executive has already loved and lost once in his life and even though he's not actively looking for a new love to replace Zak who's died, when Seth McKinna enters the picture, I couldn't help but silently applaud thinking here's his second chance and was pulling for these guys to click after their first meeting. Seth is such a breath of fresh air. Although he's only 23, he's not looking for a sugar daddy. He makes it clear that he wants a man to love, not someone to pay the bills. He's so taken with Jim that he creates a past for himself that he thinks will be more likely to win Jim over than the really oppressive one he actually experienced in Drinkwater, Nebraska with a catatonic mother and an abusive stepfather. I found myself actually pulling for Seth each time his lie was about to catch up with him. I knew the lie had to be exposed as lies always are in real life. As Jim and Seth finally get things straightened out enough to start their life together, Seth's sister, Cassie comes to NY escaping from her own abusive existence in Nebraska. Seth hadn't been able to bring her with him when he left, because she was underage and he could barely take care of himself as he was only 17 at the time. Seth and Cassie had become estranged since he left her behind as Cassie began to feel abandon by him since they only had each other while they were growing up. But, when things became so hectic for Cassie, NYC and Seth was the only place and person she knew that she could run to. At first, Cassie was like a fish out of water in NYC because it was so different from Drinkwater, and she didn't know how to deal with the fact that her brother was in love with a man. Seth hadn't even been able to confide in her, his one confidant, before he escaped concerning his sexual preference. So, here was Cassie, 21, in a very large strange city who had chanced upon the circumstance that her brother was not only gay but was in a relationship with a man that was old enough to be their father. I thought to myself, Cassie is going to lose her cool and spill the beans to Jim about Seth's lie, but the exposure when it came, stemmed from a most unexpected source. I won't spoil the story by telling you what happened when the lie was exposed, I'll let you read the book yourself to find out. What amazed me though about Shapiro's writing since this is her first novel, is that she doesn't make the ending a nicely wrapped package. Like real life, the characters are effected by what has happened to them. People and their relationships are fragile and it takes work on a daily basis to make them thrive.

If You Liked "Brokeback Mountain", You'll Love This Book!

I know that comparing anything to "Brokeback Mountain" is bound to raise a few eyebrows. After all, "Brokeback Mountain" was an incredibly moving love story. A love story that people could relate to whether they were gay or straight. But at the conclusion of "What Love Means To You People", I was left with the same feelings I had after watching "Brokeback Mountain". Exhilarated. Heartbroken. And completely blown away by the experience. Here's the key difference. In "Brokeback Mountain", Ennis and Jack have to battle against society's view of romantic love between two men. In "What Love Means To You People", Seth and Jim must battle something more of us can relate to - ghosts and demons from the past that haunt our present-day lives. From the very first page, I found "What Love Means To You People" very hard to put down. Powerful, emotional and unflinching, it's a pleasure to watch the relationship between Seth and Jim smolder until it finally ignites into a passionate love. And that's when things start to get interesting... Bottom line. This is an incredible love story. And whether you're gay or straight, you'll be able to relate to the two main characters as they struggle to maintain a loving relationship while battling demons from their past. An astonishing debut!!!

A truly astonishing first novel

A moving, heartbreakingly real story of connection and estrangement, and the shadowy territory that lies between. Lyrically told, with characters who practically leap off the page and into your consciousness. So many stories try to capture the raw truth of grief and desire and fall into cheap sentiment or cheaper sex, but What Love Means to You People succeeds in a way that will leave you breathless.

Smart, Sexy New Novel

"What Love Means to You People" is a beautifully written novel about the lengths we go to in order to reinvent ourselves, the risks we take to find happiness, and the courage to love anyway when the people we idealize turn out to be all too human.