International Gay & Lesbian Review

The Big Book of Misunderstanding

• Fiction
• Publisher: Harrington Park Press
• Publication Date: 2002

There's a saying that no movie will ever be better than the one that plays in the reader's mind. The better the writers' visual imagery, the better the book. Among contemporary authors, Ann Cameron is a master of extraordinary visual imagery in her collection of children's tales, The Stories Julian Tells. Jim Gladstone is equal to Ann Cameron because he has a remarkable recall of cultural icons from his formative years, the 70s and 80s. He spares none of them in his terrific first novel, The Big Book of Misunderstanding. Images of Farrah Fawcett's cheesecake poster, blended with Carly Simon's greatest hit, "You're So Vain," David Reuben's bestseller, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask), and the rise in popularity of Chinese restaurants, as families assemble jigsaw puzzles on Friday nights, accompany Gladstone's tale of a Philadelphia man and his gay son's relationship. Gladstone's novel begins with its protagonist, Joshua Royalton, trying to determine whether the politically incorrect act of suicide will not only end his life, but also his childhood. His father, Harris Royalton, is lost in the imagery of 1950s television fatherhood. He believes that if he remains fiercely supportive of his wife and sons, even as they reject him, he's doing a good job. Gladstone's very opinionated characters don't hold their tongue when addressing one another. At a visit to Disneyland, Harris asks Joshua if he's having a happy childhood. Joshua retorts: "Are you having a happy parenthood?" How many of us have had the guts to speak to our own parents like that? On a recent television interview, actress Vanessa Redgrave reminded students that they will fail at things, and that they need to recognize this failure, because it's valuable thing one can learn about oneself. As Joshua Royalton goes through the process of experiencing and understanding the failures of himself, his friends and family, and this is a key to Gladstone's visual imagery. This gives the novel amazing depth as the reader vividly connects with these people. This quality alone helps The Big Book of Misunderstanding surpass other, similar novels. There's no need to wait for The Big Book of Misunderstanding to be filmed. The movie playing in your head as you read this extraordinary novel will be the best version you'd ever want to see!

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