Most gay novels deal with the young and single life. Back Where He Started is about two middle aged men at the end of a long-term relationship. For 22 years, Chris Thayer and Zack Roman have enjoyed a traditional “marriage.” Zack, a successful businessman, was the breadwinner of the family while the nurturing, “motherly” Chris stayed home and raised Zack’s three children from a previous heterosexual marriage: Trey, Andrea and Schooner. Now the kids have grown up and Chris’s life is turned upside down when the bisexual Zack tells Chris that he is leaving him to marry a much younger woman. There is nothing left for Chris to do but to pick up the pieces and - with a generous settlement from Zack - move to a beach house in the Outer Banks’ Salter Path to start all over again.

Chris Thayer is Quinn’s best literary creation; no small feat for the author who created such memorable characters in his memoir The Mentor and his first novel Metes and Bounds. Though Chris is very much the nurturing figure in his relationship - his kids call him “Mom” - he is not “feminine” stereotype. Chris is just a man who was “married” to another man and who performed the parts played by women in traditional, heterosexual relationships. Now 46 (two years older than the author), Chris must go out in the world and fend for himself. Quinn does an admirable job portraying the life of a “middle aged” gay man; making a living, starting a new life, and even pursuing a new relationship. Chris’s new life in the Outer Banks is detailed; and it is obviously a labor of love. Though Quinn idealizes somewhat the condition of gay men in Salter Path; on the whole his portrayal of life in the Outer Banks is spot on. There is even a hurricane.

Like Jay Quinn himself, Chris Thayer is a Roman Catholic. While Roman Catholicism is often portrayed in gay books as the enemy, in Back Where He Started it is shown to be a comfort and support. Chris goes to mass faithfully; observes the holy days and rituals; and raised his children to be as pious as himself. When adversity strikes Chris at mid-life he does not turn his back on his religion but rather embraces it. He becomes part of Salter Path’s parish church, where the amiable priest helps him find a job. He even coaxes his new, skeptic boy friend to go to mass. Though Chris is openly gay and obviously does not accept his Church’s antigay teachings, he chooses to remain a part of his religious community, warts and all.

Back Where He Started is a fascinating read, especially for those interested in gay families, religion, and the Outer Banks. Though the ending is a bit sudden, the story never lags, nor cease to fascinate. We see the world through Chris’s eyes; and it is a fascinating world indeed. The supporting characters - bisexual Zack, straight Trey and Andrea, gay male Schooner and Steve (Chris’s new boy friend) - though seen through the lenses of Chris’s vision, are also well-developed, though Zack by necessity comes across more as a heavy than a three-dimensional figure. All in all, Back Where He Started is Jay Quinn’s masterpiece. You don’t have to be gay, Catholic or Southern to enjoy this wonderful book.

“MY FAVORITE BOOK” is by Robin Bodiford, noted South Florida advocate, activist, and author: “Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver [Harper Collins] is a compelling epic read about the women and children of a misguided, maniacal missionary pledged to save the natives, replete with the geo-political climate of Africa and America of the 1950's, romance, and political intrigue. Kingsolver’s masterpiece uses the English language to paint the characters and their environs, their pain, their knowledge, their humor on the soul of the reader in indelible ink.” If you, My Friend, have a favorite book you wish to share with us, e-mail me the title, author and a sentence or two explaining why you like the book (along with your name of course) to jessemonteagudo@aol.com. Subject: "Book Nook Favorite Book."

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and gay book lover who lives in South Florida, not far from Jay Quinn. He has been to the Outer Banks (and enjoyed it). Write him a note at jessemonteagudo@aol.com.