Jesse Monteagudo: Jesse Monteagudo is a book lover and free-lance writer who lives in South Florida with his domestic partner. He can be reached at jessemonteagudo@aol.com by email. This review is reprinted with the permission of gaytoday.badpuppy.com
Andrew And Joey by Jamie James (291 pages; $23) is an epistolary novel, written in the form of a series of letters. However, since this is the 21st century, Andrew and Joey tells its tale not by way of snail mail but through e-mail messages sent to and from Andrew and Joey, their families, friends and lovers.
To make a long story short, Andrew Tan and Joey Breaux have been together for 14 years when Joey wins a grant to work with a dance troupe in Bali. Before you can say “sarong”, Joey starts a fling with Wayan, a hot-to-trot, 19-year old Balinese dancer.
This leads to a whole slew of e-mail messages that span two continents, from correspondents who forget the first rule of on-line communication. (Write as if everyone is going to read your e-mail, which is what will happen eventually.)
The e-mails multiply as the book progresses, so by the end the reader is forgiven for not knowing who sent what. Less forgivable are the Asian stereotypes that pepper this book though I presume that Mr. James, who is a seasoned travel writer, knows his Bali better than I do.
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