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Title: Ugh!!!
Review: Another Paul Russell novel, another story of older lecherous gay men draining the lifeblood out of teenagers. Does this author have the ability to write characters with any dignity? Do all of his gay characters need to live in a rarified world where the hunt of sex justifies any action no matter how deplorable?Beyond the distastefulness of the subject matter, an even larger issue is the author's inability to give his characters (gay or straight!) any depth. They are merely cardboard cutouts acting without any genuine motivation. Max, Perry, Kyle, Donna, Leanne, Elliot are all one-note characters that act simply as plot devices to move along a laggard storyline, rather than showing any kind of complex thought or emotion.There are some wonderful gay novels out there that don't whitewash the gay experience, yet don't debase it either. And there are some wonderful gay authors who take the time and have the ability to put the human experience in deeper, fuller context.
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