Missed opportunities and random happenstance divide but ultimately unite two men in Outland's (Every Man for Himself) sweeping, prosy novel, set in Reno, Nev.; San Francisco; and New York City in the late 1980s. Timid, Christian-raised Cal Hewitt considers gorgeous boyhood neighbor Eric Hamilton a delectable temptation while getting reacquainted with him during a postcollege summer at home in Reno, but a misunderstanding squelches any chance for romance, and they move to opposite ends of the country. Eric relocates to San Francisco and becomes an AIDS activist while closeted Cal barely scrapes by in New York City. When Cal's father falls ill, he rushes home and is again reunited with Eric, though their social choices estrange them even further. Bolstered by his father's inheritance, Cal moves to San Francisco and into a downward spiral of methamphetamine abuse and unprotected sex. Meanwhile, Eric's writing career takes off and he finds a lover. Cal winds up testing HIV-positive and becomes suicidal, but survives it all by moving back home with his religious mother, Carol. After Eric loses his mother to cancer and his lover to AIDS, he decides to return home as well; the men rediscover each other, fall in love and vacation in Paris. Outland's tale has moments of eloquence but is largely overwritten and mawkish. Platitude-heavy prose makes for a sluggish plot, though the characterizations are strong enough to keep readers interested. More experienced gay fiction fans might find this book on the bland side of pleasurable, super-sexy cover art notwithstanding. (Oct.)
