Together as boyfriends, Reid and Everett attend college in early 1980s Philadelphia. The sequel to 'Every Time I Think of You' follows their journey toward finding trust. love, and a home together.
In Jim Provenzano’s sequel to the 2012 Lambda Literary Award-winner "Every Time I Think of You," the love between two young men is put to a test. Reid Conniff and Everett Forrester have moved to Philadelphia, where college life brings them closer together. But Everett, a recovering paraplegic, is pressured by his mother to transfer to the University of Pennsylvania, while Reid stays at Temple University. Their once long-distance love becomes a cross-town romance. A twist of floral fate finds them an apartment more like a home. Between disability protests, impulsive road trips and despite a few affairs, their relationship grows. But as the early 1980s continue, a spreading crisis approaches, coming into their lives with a strange intimacy, via that one mysterious Polaroid of Everett, the one that Reid never dared to ask about.
Excerpt
"With lively, electric prose, Provenzano conjures an epic love story. He reminds the reader that there's always something after the murkiest of fates and will make the doubtful believe in romance again. Message of Love makes a significant contribution to disability and queer literature while touching the heart of the general reader."
- Belo Miguel Cipriani, author of Blind: A Memoir
Professional Reviews
Philadelphia Gay News
"The sequel to the Lambda Literary Award-winning Every Time I Think of You reintroduces readers to Everett and Reid as they traverse the next phases of their relationship.
It is 1980 Philadelphia, and the couple has settled into their first year at Temple University, together exploring the city and campus and adjusting to dormitory domesticity. Everett’s wheelchair, the result of a traumatic injury that left him partially paralyzed, is a ubiquitous presence in their physical and emotional relationship, as they learn how to be intimate despite physical limitations and how to balance independence with assistance.
"In addition to grappling with late-teen relationship ups and downs, they also deal with family dynamics, especially Everett’s pedigreed mother who has ambitious aspirations for her son apart from Reid. And looming like a specter is a defining aspect of 1980s gay community, the HIV/AIDS crisis, subtly foreshadowed from the beginning until it becomes a focal point of the story later on.
Locals will love the Philly references, from Everett and Reid’s visit to Forbidden Drive to taking in Rocky Horror shows at TLA, and how the city shapes their relationship. 'Message of Love' is a brilliant retelling of young love and the transformations it undergoes as lovers grow from adolescence to adulthood."
— Jen Colletta, Philadelphia Gay News
http://epgn.com/view/full_story/25148483/article-Book-Reviews-Summer-2014?instance=main_page
Edge Media
"The compelling tale of Reid and Everett reminds one of the age old saying that love conquers all and perhaps most importantly, that relationships are about compromise. While their initial story presented Everett’s paralysis as the life-changing event that turns the worlds of both young men upside-down, this sequel has its share of drama, but more of the everyday trials and tribulations and complications that hold true for any two individuals who share each other’s lives--and an unconditional love.
"'Message of Love' is an earnest, heartfelt and refreshing continuation of a young couple’s adventures that leaves the reader excited, amused and inspired."
– Edge Media
www.edgesanfrancisco.com/entertainment////158098
Scattered Thoughts blog
"If you looked at it as less a total romance and more of a journey of two young men coming of age and growing together into adulthood and a loving commitment, then the richness of its details and the complexities of its characters will make this a story to remember.
"If you are new to Reid and Everett’s story, then begin with 'Every Time I Think of You.' If you are familiar with that novel, then 'Message of Love' is a story not to be missed. No matter, this is a wonderfully satisfying and uplifting novel, certainly one of Scattered Thoughts Best of 2014."
– Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords.com/2014/04/15/review-message-of-love-by-jim-provenzano/
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