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there is something in there, but I'm not sure what
What an interesting book. It was quirky and charming and I really did enjoy it. The book starts with a really interesting high concept premise - micropenis, and applied it to a YA coming of age/gay romance story. Wow, sounds interesting, and I've never been to that rodeo before, so props for the fresh idea.
Facts and figures - the wikipedia entry says that micropenis occurs in 0.6% of the male population. To put that in perspective, for every one person that has a cleft lip, there are 3-4 guys with micropenis. My point is, whether you know it or not, you've probably met someone with what is considered a micropenis.
So Mitch is our protagonist and he has a very small member. Mitch is a swimmer and spends quite a bit of time wearing skimpy Speedos or naked in the locker room shower, around other Speedo clad or naked guys. Mitch is gay but not out, and in an ironic twist of fate, his (nearly constant) boners go largely unnoticed by the other guys. Did I mention about 40% of the book takes place in the communal locker room shower?
In addition to the romance (more on that in a bit) there is a bunch of other stuff that happens, and I can't decide if it's all a brilliant masterpiece or just a nice romance with a hodgepodge of other things. Some things were expected for a story like this: gay bashing, gay curious guys, confusion about your future... But there were other things that were pretty major to be layering on top of an already high concept premise. There was the complicated family situation that could have been a story in and of itself. There was a sadistic coach who humiliates Mitch in worst possible way. There was the dog. And the bird.
Most importantly, there was a romance that emerged from those lovely communal showers. It was unexpected and sweet and a bit over the top, but I found it charming. However, the there was more piling on of stuff, and in this case some kink was introduced to this nascent relationship, and that lost me a little.
(show spoiler)
And while I liked Mitch's paramour, there was something about his attraction to Mitch that was borderline skeevy. Am I the only one who
(show spoiler)
?
In spite of all additives and filler, there definitely was something there worth reading. I just can't figure out if this is a great story buried in the clutter, or if it's the clutter that makes it a great story. I will say this, awesome ending.
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