cover image Remember Me

Remember Me

Bo Huston. Amethyst Books, $9.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-927200-08-0

In Huston's ( Horse and Other Stories ) new novel, a young gay writer diagnosed with AIDS narrates the story of his lifelong friendship with the reclusive Charlotte. He and Charlotte are loyal to one another, and have shared memories of childhood and the experience of losing their parents prematurely. Together they create a protected world for themselves inside a messy old house on the outskirts of a small town, a place where Charlotte ``has arranged her life as to have no choices'' and where ``there is nothing to wait for.'' The narrator graphically describes his anonymous homosexual encounters, including a visit to a ``porno place.'' He develops a fondness for a beautiful man named Jesse, whom he meets in the library while leafing through a book of photos of Hollywood legends. His illness and the specter of his own death haunt him throughout; at first he tries to forget, skipping his medicine and his blood tests, but as the virus progresses, denial becomes impossible. Unfortunately, while Huston's writing is earnest and the subject tragic, the characters remain sketchy and the narrative lacks depth and dramatic tension. (May) -