Publishers Weekly Review

The Heart’s History was recently reviewed in Publishers Weekly—a first for me!  PW is a major resource for bookstores in selecting the books to put on their shelves.  (I’m sure that would mean more if half the bookstores in the world hadn’t vanished in recent years!)  It must mean something, because my publisher is reissuing the book to include the review on the cover.  Here’s a sneak peek for you:

DeSimone's second novel (after Chemistry) is a thoughtful and engaging examination of contemporary gay life and love. When Edward, a 35-year-old Boston architect, introduces his new boyfriend, Robert, to his tight-knit circle of longtime friends, none of Edward's cohort expects the relationship to last--Edward has an abysmal romantic track record, and the generational differences between the two (Robert is 10 years Edward's junior) manifest in the ways each man navigates their relationship; Edward remembers "the romance of secrecy" when homosexuality was still a taboo, whereas Robert and his generation "openly proclaimed their right[s]." Soon, Edward tests positive for AIDS, and his body fails to respond to treatment. Set against the backdrop of Edward's illness, the next four years sees various friends and former lovers embrace their individual connections to Edward while discussing the opportunities and challenges of monogamy, polyandry, safe sex, gay/straight relationships, and sexual politics. DeSimone's facility with the minutiae of everyday life and the rhythms of friendship brings depth to this timely story of ordinary individuals struggling to bulwark their ideas of love against shifting personal and cultural tides.

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