Kept Boy

Rodi (Fag Hag; Closet Case; What They Did to Princess Paragon and Drag Queen) once again skewers an archetype of contemporary gay life. This time, it's the figure of the kept boy who's subject to Rodi's characteristic wit and sauce. Dennis Racine is 31, looks 23 and is fighting claw to claw with Jasper Moran, a 20-year-old poolboy, for the attentions of his companion (and keeper) of 10 years, 65-year-old theatrical impresario Farleigh Nock. What ensues is a cat fight worthy of Clare Booth Luce. From present-day Chicago to the islands of Greece, Dennis must outwit Jasper and expose him to Farleigh for the money-grubbing phony he is. Luckily, he has the help of two confidants (a woman kept by a male congressman, and a man kept by a female gossip columnist). What results is a series of riotous, if sometimes far-fetched, plot twists that keep the pages turning, culminating with a hysterical visit to Jasper's 100-year-old grandmother on the Greek island of Santorini. Eccentric, wildly exaggerated characters add to this farce, which, although completely insubstantial, provides a delightfully juicy distraction. (Nov.)