Three Junes - Julia Glass

This story is told through the perspective of a man and later, his son. It tells the story of love, being understood and learning to live without regret. I just have to ask though, do all love stories involving gay men have to be doomed, sad and decoratively tasteful?

The book opens in June (of course) and is written from the perspective of Paul, a widower on a cruise. He is trying to branch out a bit, but he typically hates these kinds of things. He is looking back on his life a bit and develops a crush on a young woman on the boat.

The wife and mother in this story raised Collies in Scotland and probably had an affair with the neighbor. She wore bright red lipstick and an irreverent attitude. She was Catherine Hepburn in my mind. She had three sons and the book takes the perspective of her oldest son as the book moves on to the second June.

Both parents have died at this point and Fenno, the oldest son, moves the narrative back and forth between the present and his past in Manhattan. He has a strong friendship with Mal, a witty Opera critic who is dying of AIDS with dignity and stifled rage. Fenno has an affair with Tony, but they never bring this relationship into the light. They never develop beyond the secret sex.

The last June is told from the perspective of Fern - a young woman on vacation in the Hamptons with Tony. Here we learn that Fern is Paul's crush from the cruise. Fenno shows up with one of his brothers and the story ties up here.

All the images presented in this story were beautiful - colorful bookstores and doting mothers, just to name a couple. Love and sex didn't live comfortably though.