The Genius of Desire by Brian Bouldrey


The Genius of Desire
Title : The Genius of Desire
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0345383346
ISBN-10 : 9780345383341
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 274
Publication : First published May 18, 1993

Michael Bellman is not your average little boy. He speaks to plates, banisters, and other household objects (preferring them to people). He frequently confesses to sins he never committed (like adultery). And he's hopelessly drawn to the romantic notion of the double life. Though Michael blends into the furniture like the soft patterns in the fabric, he longs for - and imagines - a secret wild self that could break free of convention.

Michael spends summers in Monsalvat, Michigan, coming of age in a loving tangle of great aunts, great uncles, cousins once-removed (but ever-present), and one tough-looking, silently scary great-grandmother. The Kaisers are a very wild, highly eccentric bunch: Great Aunt Teresa reads Michael the original Cinderella story at bedtime, cutting out the gruesome details of blinded step-sisters and severed feet; Great Uncle Jimmy speaks to his dead wife during meals and proudly proclaims himself the Fattest Man in the World; Cousin Ann torments and taunts Michael beyond recognition; reckless Cousin Tommy secretly smokes cigars and can't wait to "kick butt in 'Nam" - and Michael watches every magical move he makes.

A few years and one driver's license later, as family alliances change and long-silent desires surface, Michael begins to understand his attraction to the double life because he's living one - at road-side rest stops, in library washrooms and public parks. Coming out is the first step, coming to terms is the next.... In The Genius of Desire, Brian Bouldrey performs an amazing feat - beautifully and painfully showing how a very Catholic family can punish their own, without ceasing to love them.

The Genius of Desire Reviews

  • Jim

    I've been rereading several of the books that are still on my shelves to answer the inner question, "Why do I still own this?"

    Many novels of the 1990s have a specific style of the time, but Bouldrey's touching family drama stands the test of time, and stands outside any literary trend. His narrator Michael's emerging gay identity is mostly overshadowed by the boisterous clan of his Michigan family, which includes an extended array of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

    Bouldrey captures the vicious antagonism between children and teenagers with flair, the comical foibles of adults, and the narrator's growing awareness of the absurdity of misguided Catholic rituals.

    Michael's awkward feelings toward a handsome older cousin are one of many small dramas that develop, and while interconnected, nearly every chapter stands alone as a powerful evocative short story. What's also fascinating is his skill with depicting the multi-character choreography of placing the many relatives and neighbors in the story at the right moments.

  • Richard Jespers

    Glad I finally read it. While it is well-written and “literary” in merit, some things troubled me about it. It’s probably just me, but I believe this family is TOO BIG. The “aunts” and “uncles” all ran together in my mind (may be my problem). Language is somewhat clunky at times, a shade purple at others.

  • Chris

    I quite liked this book -- a genuinely touching coming-of-age story setin Michigan. It was unusual in that it does not have a tightly structured plot. I think I enjoyed the descriptive language the best. It's a good read -- in fact, I think I read it in three sittings.