One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva (review)

Alek has spent freshman year struggling to keep his grades up to his Armenian parents’ strict standards, and now they have enrolled him in summer school to make sure he stays on the Honors track. Summer school leads to adventure, though, when Ethan, the out-and-proud skater dude who sits next to him in Algebra, whisks him away on a train from their suburb into New York City for a Rufus Wainwright concert. Their newfound romance reaches a crescendo when Alek’s parents and older brother leave on a family vacation, giving Alek and Ethan free rein to play hooky and trash the house, until Alek’s parents walk in on the couple in a, erm, disheveled state. The tension between the responsibilities of heritage for a second-generation kid and a budding sense of teenage rebellion is expertly manifested in Alek’s wanting to do the right thing. His bewilderment at falling for a guy presents a realistic picture of developing sexuality, and the non-event of his coming out is eclipsed by a family drama involving the bad blood between Turks (Alek’s brother’s girlfriend is half-Turkish) and Armenians. Ethan is perfectly dashing and experienced as the quintessential older guy, despite having insecurities of his own, and some comic relief comes in the form of Alek’s wisecracking best friend Becky (who predictably has an early crush on him). The ending does rely on contrivances that are little too perfect, but what feel-good, bubblegum romance doesn’t? Hand this one to those who’ve already gone through Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy (BCCB 9/03) and Kluger’s My Most Excellent Year (BCCB 3/08) and are looking for some slightly more mature froth.