Closet Case: 2a Novel

Because a kind of goofy charm imbues this second novel from the author of Fag Hag , readers may be happily hooked despite a few shortcomings. Lionel Frank, the titular hero, is a gay man whose closet is tightly locked lest macho co-workers at a Chicago advertising agency discover his sexual orientation. Fortunately, Lionel can unburden his soul to Yolanda, his outspoken neighbor-cum-confidante who lives for science fiction and possesses worldliness and naivete in perfect proportion. (Lionel, in fact, sometimes looks bland compared to Yolanda.) There is no dearth of funny one-liners as Rodi plays fast and loose with topics ranging from the men's movement to the Catholic church's stand on homosexuality. His barbs are scattershot, however, his humor often more rambling than pointed. But when Lionel is summoned to a Wisconsin vacation with agency honchos and their spouses (Yolanda plays the beard), the novel approaches the high comedy it aspires to. The farcical final scenes, wherein I Love Lucy meets The Dating Game , will gladden the hearts of closeted homosexuals and hopeless romantics; there may even be traces of an inspiriting lesson lurking in this closet. (May)