Intimacy Idiot

Oliver (Showgasm) provides a mediocre entry in the genre of self-deprecating New York Gay men looking for love and finding humor instead, though it certainly has its bright spots. His chatty style and candor about sex is entertaining, as when he dedicates an entire paragraph to actor Ryan Phillippe, who "justified and fortified [Oliver's] gayness." His comic humiliations, such as his experiences with gagging on a dust-covered sexual device, dating a furry, and getting spanked by a scruffy Italian guy, illustrate what Oliver will do for possible love. He also includes anecdotes about essays about bizarre subway rides and outrageous episodes from his day job at a theater box office. Too much of the book contains uninspired doodles such as a series of odes ("love poems") for attractive strangers he encounters in New York and "recipes" for loneliness, leaving the reader longing for more substance. Oliver certainly has comedic talent, but this haphazard collection quickly wears thin. (June)