Gaysians

Lambda award–winning cartoonist Curato (Flamer) makes his adult debut with this earnest, skillfully drawn look at the friendship circle of four single queer Asian folks—cheekily dubbed the Boy Luck Club—in early 2000s Seattle. The story opens with AJ, young and newly out, arriving in the city. He is soon taken under the wing of K, a bighearted drag performer. K also acts as den mother to John, a shy, heavyset gamer with a fatalistic attitude toward romance, and Steven, a handsome nurse who avoids his problems by losing himself in promiscuous sexual adventures. In between romantic entanglements, the four also experience racism, homophobia, and familial rejection, fueling their confusion and self-doubt. Through it all, they nurture one another, albeit with some squabbles here and there. As K counsels AJ, “In this life we die and are reborn in our hearts many times.” At first glance, each of Curato’s characters may appear as gay stereotypes, but he renders them endearingly flawed and fully three-dimensional. This warmhearted tale of found family will charm and entertain readers, some of whom might want to keep a box of Kleenex handy. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (June)