Vertical Intercourse

by Paul Reed

Here, with Vertical Intercourse, comes Paul Reed`s long-awaited third novel, a stunning, stylish, and deeply moving tale of nine friends. Set in San Francisco - with all the haunting lyricism for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1892723069
• ISBN13: 9781892723062
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Black Books
• Length: 201 Pages

Customer Reviews

new Paul Reed fan

I picked this book up because it looked like a good object of research for something I am writing about gay male relationships. But, now I have become a Paul Reed fan and cannot wait to read his other books. I love the way he communicates the experience of living in SF as a San Franciscan. Forget about the sexual orientation of the characters - the relationships are truthful and beautiful regardless of labels. The main character's introspection portrays well the struggle many people have to balance giving and self-preservation in relationships with acquaintances, friends and lovers. The writing is simple, straightforward and honest. I have read reviews calling Reed's writing clumsy. This put me off in the first chapter or so, but then I realized that this style makes the book very accessible. Yes, it is great to find a writer creating good stories about gay men, but this book has a lot to offer anyone interested in learning someone else's take on what it means to be an adult and a good human being.

Vertical Intercourse

This is the best book by Paul Reed so far. I was truly blown away by the humanity, insight, and pure honesty of the characters and their lives. Rarely does a book in the "gay" genre delve into themes of aging in the community, or looks-ism, or the uncertainty of dating and all the pleasures and conflicts that brings. But not only are the characters intriguing, their stories are fascinating, and we can't wait to turn the page to see what happens next. Beyond this, the writing is exquisite. Reed is known already for his elegant prose, but in Vertical Intercourse, he has managed to grow beyond the elegiac poetry of his novel Longing and achieve something stylistically polished but that reads like a breeze, effortless. I don't know how he does it. This book should be a permanent part of every gay man's library. I can't recommend it highly enough.

San Francisco Survivors

Paul Reed novels always have an intimate feeling of San Francisco and a keen sense of time, and this latest captures familiar issues and emotions of the past decade. The narrator is no great hero and he knows it, but there is a quiet, understated, real-world heroism in his compassion and sense of duty toward others in his life. It's the sort of quality we often find in ourselves when things go wrong and our superficial concerns automatically give way to what counts. The characters in Verticle Intercourse are as vivid as friends and acquaintances passing on today's Castro Street, or in the neighborhood you know. Though entertaining, this novel is ambitious, and the real story is not the everyday drama but a community surviving after two decades of AIDS, and still putting trust in friendships and love. The ease of Reed's narrative fools you, the pace is quicker than you realize, and by the end you don't want to let go of these lives and their stories.

Moving and close to home

A very intimate book about a gay man living with AIDS. I found it realistic and close to home in a way much gay fiction is not. And a certain unresolvedness made it all the more realistic.

Vertical Intercourse: Multiple-loss Grief & Survival

This is an amazing novel dealing with a subject that few can imagine who haven't actually experienced the loss of most or all of their friends to AIDS. For those of us who have, it illuminates the resulting social disorders and anxieties that insidiously creep in following those losses and gives us hope for a resumption of a normal life however "not-normal" that life may have seemed to begin with. This book is populated with characters that I feel are people I actually know. I took comfort from and felt dignified by the optimism, courage and tenacity of the narrator. This is a must read for everyone who's ever lost their friends but moreso for anyone with a functioning heart and an open mind.