40
January
9.2004
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BOOKS
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Family secrets
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h is
by Lucy Jane Bledsoe; Alyson
Publications, 2003; $13.95
softcover
by Nina Revoyr; Akashic Books,
2003; $15.95 softcover
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F
amily secrets— we’ve all
got ’em. Sometimes we
hold them inside, sure that
their revelation will some
how violently disrupt our
world. But sometimes the dis
covery of them can open up
our lives in ways we never
dreamed, like finding out that
your favorite “old maid” aunt
was really a lesbian.
Two recent novels explore
the theme of family secrets
and the new world of possibili
ties when those secrets are
uncovered.
This Wild Silence is the story
of two adult sisters haunted by
the disappearance of their
brother 30 years ago. Lucy Jane
Bledsoe, whose other titles
include sports dyke fiction and
lesbian travel studies, leads us
this time on a journey of the
psyche when the novel’s sisters
embark on a winter camping
trip where they are not only
physically and mentally chal
lenged hut forced to face the
rmth of what happened the day brother
Timothy disappeared.
Younger sister Tina, a dyke doctor in San
Francisco’s tenderloin district, muddles her way
through medical schtx)l, love and life, always
haunted by the past. Big sister Liz seems to have
moved on, and Tina holds this against her.
The novel culminates high in the Sierras as
their trip takes a sudden had turn. Bledsoe’s
crisp writing flows well in this harsh environ
ment. The story reaches hack and forth in time
as Tina confronts a series of failed relationships
and attempts to solve the mystery of her broth
er’s disappearance. Against this stark backdrop,
Lenny, a teen-ager they’ve
brought along, offers much-
needed comic relief.
The story is engaging
enough, hut ultimately it’s Bled
soe’s writing that keeps you
turning the pages with mood
setting description: “The morn
ing’s horizon is violent with the
colors of dawn. Blood red. Fire
orange. Bruise purple. Smeared
like pain across the sky, over the
mountains and frozen lake. It’s a
raw morning, new as an egg....”
ven more of a page-turner is
Southland, which is the kind
of skillful mystery that keeps
you reading late into the night.
Author of the popular The Nec
essary Hunger, Nina Revoyr
does not disappoint with her
sophomore novel.
Japanese American lesbian
lawyer Jackie Ishida sets out to
uncover the secrets of her
grandfather’s past when, after
his death, she discovers a mys
terious will among his papers.
Who is this person her grand
father willed his store to?
Although the store is no
longer in the family, it was part of
a rich and vibrant multicultural
Los Angeles between the 1930s
and 1960s. From Japanese intern
ment camps to the Watts riots to
modern-day segregated Los
Angeles, the novel reaches hack and forth
through time as Jackie discovers the truth of her
grandfather’s life. In the process she discovers a
part of herself she didn’t know was missing.
Part mystery, part historical fiction, Southland
is one of those Ux>ks that stays with you long
after you put it down. Not your typical lesbian
mystery, its thoughtful story and beautifully ren
dered words will appeal beyond a lesbian audi
ence; in fact, I’m planning on sending a copy to
my father, who is always lextking for a gtxxl kx)k.
Both these novels of journey into family will
find you questioning your own history and
whether the truth is always what you think. jR
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