Sparkle: The Queerest Book You'll Ever Love by Rob Rosen
Category:	Gay/Lesbian/Bi	Publisher:	1st Books	ISBN-10:	0759645310	Type:
Pages:	247	Copyright:	Aug 1 2001			Fiction

“Sparkle” is a big, heaping helping of so many things. It’s a great, big dish of comedy, with a touch of mystery, a dash of poignancy, several pinches of misadventure, and a good amount of eroticism thrown in for flavor. It’s about the relationships we forge throughout our lives, both gay and straight. But mostly, it’s about how being queer is ever so fabulous. (Oh, and there’s sex, and drugs, and lots of booze, and eighties music, and tattoos and piercings, and drag queens, and personal ads, and an attempted murder right at the very beginning of it all.) You’re mamma never told you that being queer could be this much fun. Buy your copy! Amazon Barnes & Noble.com “Your mamma never told you that being queer could be this much fun.” Maybe she didn’t, but author Rob Rosen is about to in his new book, Sparkle: The Queerest Book You’ll Ever Love (now available from 1stBooks Library). Sparkle follows the lives of two gay men in San Francisco as they embark upon one adventure after another. This wacky narrative addresses some of the overlooked and unexplored topics of popular gay culture. From coming out of the closet, to piercing and tattoos; from placing personal ads, to adopting children; Sparkle is a unique glimpse into the world of drag, drama queens, and divas. Rob Rosen’s combination of wit and sensitivity brings his characters to life and makes his stories so tangible you will swear you can see the sequins shining and hear the ABBA playing in the background. He writes, “With a quick hug and air kiss for Kiki, we all switched places again and Sparkle and I were back in the spotlight. (Damn it, okay, I’ll say it…where we belonged) The audience welcomed us back with the same zeal as before and my adrenaline shot off the chart.” True to its title, Sparkle’s stories really do dazzle. Both educational and entertaining, Sparkle will certainly join Priscilla Queen of the Desert as a cult and cultural classic.

Paperback

Rainbow Network
Rob Rosen’s writing debut comes in the guise of ‘Sparkle’ and is, quite rightly, billed as the ‘queerest book you’ll ever love’.

‘Sparkle’ is a rip-roaring tale of two gay friends as they chase their way through life in San Francisco. It’s all here - from coming out, tattoos and personal ads, through to adopting children, drag queens and almost everything in between.

The charm of this glorious read rests in Rosen’s wit and sense of timing. The characters literally leap off the page, as the story effortlessly unfolds and blossoms before your eyes.

Sparkle has been shot and lies desperately ill in a coma. His bosom buddy, Secret, sits patiently by his bedside from where he tells the many tales of high adventure, hoping to uncover who shot Sparkle.

As the tale progresses, Rosen’s frequent asides to the reader succeed in adding a comic depth that cleverly draws you in, page by page.

“With a quick hug and air kiss for Kiki, we all switched places again and Sparkle and I were back in the spotlight. (Damn it, okay, I’ll say it…where we belonged)”

Rosen manages to skilfully weave a myriad of characters in and out of the frame with such ease that comparisons to fellow San Franciscan, Armisted Maupin, are more than justified.

Behind the lesbian lap dancers and pill popping antics is a sweet coming of age tale, that will surely strike a cord with many a queen out there. Love, sex, friendships and family, served up with a side order of intimate piercings and one-night stands.

With a naked self-analysis akin to ‘Sex And The City’, ‘Sparkle’ manages to showcase gay humour without ever resorting to mere slapstick.

If you’re looking for an uplifting gay romp of a read then look no further, as Sparkle is most definitely “the queerest book you’ll ever love”.

Texas Triangle
Secret (known to the rest of the world as Bruce) was a naive young twenty something waiter who’d just arrived in San Francisco from Kansas. Sparkle (aka William) was a striking young gay man who knew and loved the city. From the moment he dragged his hung over self to William’s table, the two were meant for each other—as best friends, that is.

Thus began a relationship that spans the ‘90s, ending with Sparkle lying near death in a coma. So who tried to kill Sparkle? As Bruce explains, it could be anyone, as Sparkle isn’t known for much other than making trouble and has earned himself more than a few enemies over the years.

As Bruce sits by Sparkle’s deathbed, he begins to account for us, the readers, exactly who Sparkle is, and why they are still friends after all these years.

He takes us from that first fateful day when they met at the restaurant and walks us through all of their adventures (and there are many).

In the midst of his various adventures with Sparkle, Secret becomes the manager of a bookstore and cafÈ, and he and Sparkle spend many interesting days there, as Secret works and Sparkle schmoozes (and sucks down free lattes). One day Secret hires a new clerk that Sparkle is very interested in. The feeling is not mutual. In fact the new guy, Mack (Miss Mary Mack to Sparkle) hates Sparkle. Secret, trying to avoid controversy, attempts to keep the two apart. It all explodes when Sparkle catches the two men at a business dinner and thinks that Secret is trying to take his man (which, after all, is exactly what Sparkle would have done to Secret were the shoe on the other foot). This precipitates their first big fight; Secret, furious, threatens to kill Sparkle.

Of course, Secret is angry, but only temporarily. After the police come and take Sparkle off to jail, Secret finds an attorney and ends up bailing his friend out. Sparkle is no worse for the wear; in fact Secret may have done him a favor, as while incarcerated Sparkle managed to make a date with one of his fellow inmates.

Eventually all is forgiven and Sparkle ends up getting community service as a punishment. As a result he meets up with a boy named Peter. Peter is a young man who was kicked out of his parent’s home for being gay and has been living on the streets. Through a series of strange events, Sparkle and Secret end up adopting Peter, who becomes the third member of their little family.

Everything seems to be going well, until Sparkle turns up shot with his own gun, and Secret begins to look like the primary suspect.

Fast paced, riveting and absolutely hilarious, Sparkle—The Queerest Book You’ll Ever Love is a very un-PC look at what it’s like to be young, gay, and living in San Francisco. Sparkle and Secret drink and party and pill-pop their way unapologetically from one outrageous adventure to another. Their exploits from getting nipple rings and tattoos to going to their first topless (female) bar is broken out are broken down in hysterical detail. Readers will find themselves laughing out right of loud as Rosen’s comfortable style pulls them in to Sparkle and Secret’s twisted lives.

An absolutely perfect way to take a San Francisco vacation without actually hopping on a plane, Sparkle—The Queerest Book You’ll Ever Love is published by 1stBooks Library and is available at fine GLBT bookstores everywhere.