A Little Family Drama Never Hurt Anyone

REVIEW BY DD TAYLOR-GARCIA

It is not often that I read novels or stories
about queer people who actually live and inter-
act with their birth families on a daily basis.
Faults, set in Santa Monica, California in the
winter of 1993-94, seems rather unique in this
way.

The story revolves around Toni Dorado, who
is having a mid-life crisis of sorts. The story
opens as she heads
south via train, run-

Faults ning away from a
Terri de la Pena cabin in the woods of
PUBUSHER the Pacific Northwest

and a lover who was

a way out. Waiting
for Toni in Santa Monica are her younger sis-
ter, Sylvia, her mother, Adela, her niece, Gabi,
and Pat Ramos, her ex-lover.

Things are especially shaky with Pat. When
Toni left Santa Monica, she did so with
Amanda, a white woman she met at a library
science conference. That Toni knows now that
it was a mistake doesn’t necessarily mean that
Pat is willing to forgive all.

As if things weren’t complicated enough in

the arena of love, Toni has another family prob-
lem. Her only sister, homophobic and insecure
Sylvia, has moved in next door with her man
and batterer, Zalo.

As you may have guessed, Toni has to face a
lot of drama this winter. She finds herself
aching with love and desire for Pat, who is
keeping her distance. When Sylvia reveals that
she is pregnant, Zalo’s violence escalates and
endangers the whole family.

The novel manages to deal with the messy
web of familial relationships and drama in a
realistic way. I was also impressed that the
story, while narrated by five different women,
avoided pretentious distance, disjointedness
and misplaced irony. Each character narrates
her story personally and with a good measure
of sincerity. That is hard to find in fiction late-
ly.

De la Pena’s use of Spanglish in some of the
dialogue is a nice touch, though some readers
may find a Spanish-English dictionary useful.

If you are looking for a good Valentine’s
Day read, pick this up. It has a lot to say about
true love. V

February 2000 | Out in the M-o‘u‘htains 31..

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And You Thought Your Life
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REVIEW BY PAUL OLSEN

Ethan and his lover Doug consider buying a house and
moving in together. Etienne sends a friend to retrieve the
drugs he’s hidden in Ethan’s apartment. Doug can’t keep a
hard on, Lucy has hairballs, and the office holiday party is a
disaster.

No, this is not a conversation overheard during happy
hour at Pearl’s. Nor is it an all-gay episode of General
Hospital. Rather, these woes are just some of the daily trials
and tribulations that comic strip artist and storyteller Eric
Orner hilariously, addresses in his new book Ethan:
Exposed.

The book’s protagonist is Ethan Green, a gay man “doing
his best to cope with life, lovers, pets, employers, and love
handles.” In the book, Orner intro-
duces readers to Ethan’s lesbian
neighbor, Charlotte, his best
friend, Bucky, his HIV-positive
lover, Doug, his carefree cat, Lucy,
and Ethan’s “glamorous super-
diva aunties,” the Hat Sisters.
(Yes, P—Town fans, those Hat Sisters).

Ethan: Exposed is a compilation ofOrner’s regular comic
strip “The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green.”
In this collection of works, Orner cleverly — and not inaccu- _ _
rately — deals with office politics, ex-lovers, monogamy, Hlgher G’T°““d Box (SE
holiday visits home, dog walking etiquette, and gay fashion. Charge hY Phone at '

Along with any Alison Bechdel Dykes to Watch Out For
cartoon compilation, Ethan: Exposed is a great and manda-       
tory addition to any gay and lesbian library. V

Tnmmr FLETCHER

DRHG

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Ethan: Exposed
Eric Orner
St. Marlin’s Griffin

Tickets available at
The Flynn Box Office, Pure Pop,
The Peace 8. Justice Store,