It’s 1989 and half-Armenian Philly resident Joe Agabian is trying to get over the death of his boyfriend Eddie, who he lost two years ago to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When his best friend Ronnie gets them jobs on Fire Island, Joe figures this is the perfect chance to finally start living again. Once there, they are taken under the wings of Larry and Howie, two older quirky and eccentric gay men who work as house cleaners for the rich of Fire Island. As Joe starts to open up again, he is drawn to two men; Fergal, the bisexual ferryman with the webbed toes and the uncanny ability to hold his breath for an extended time under water, and “Gladiator Man” the cruel and mysterious hunk Joe keeps spotting around the island. If only “Gladiator Man” wasn’t possibly the potential harbinger of doom that Howie, Larry, and the rest of their coven of Disco-dancing witches have been trying to keep the island safe from. But with their coven weakened by the deaths of so many members, can they keep Joe and the island safe? And does Joe even want to be?
I have to be honest: I bought this book solely on account of the cover and the title. I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it, but I had to buy it. Fell says it is semi-autobiographical based on the summer he spent bartending on Fire Island (minus the Disco Coven), and I think that says a lot about him. Or maybe the book? The thing is, I’m reviewing it not really knowing 100% what I think of it. I might have liked it more if I had read it when the weather was warmer, and I was either on the beach or on a hammock in my backyard; alcoholic beverage in hand either place. It just gives off “beach read” vibes. So I would recommend it for a harmless beach read with a punch of a message, if steamy Fire Island summers and/or Disco Covens are your thing. I think I was born at the wrong time to really appreciate this book, though. In 1989, when it is set, I was two, so I completely missed out on any chance of knowing about the events referred to other than through books, and my mother talking about a couple of people she used to work in advertising with. I don’t quite understand the rampant drug use described, or the apparent love affair with body hair on all the men (hard pass from me there). I will say that Fell has no problem delving into the various sects of gay men out there (this book includes your bears, your twinks, your leather daddies, your drag queens, etc., etc., etc.), as well as how cut throat inter-gay Politics were back then. I also appreciate the honest and frank discussion of the AIDS crisis, and how truly poorly the American government handled it. The addition of magic was interesting, and yet kind of seemed shoehorned in. Nice touch was starting each chapter with a quote from “The Disco Witch Manifesto”, a book written by one of the characters during an ayahuasca trip.
Downsides:
1:I don’t know if Joe or Ronnie are really likable main characters; Joe comes across as a self-pitying, self-deluding whinger, while Ronnie is your textbook affirmation-spouting gym rat on the prowl for a Sugar Daddy. Howie and Larry are Fire Island’s Bert and Ernie, if Ernie was 6’3″ and wore fabulous headgear and silk caftans and Bert was a short, fat Italian in full Leather Daddy gear.
2: Editing is a bit sloppy. Couple of typos, couple of times an extra word is thrown in where it isn’t needed.
3: Writing is a bit…much. I found it a bit eye-rolling (albeit in a good way), but if the phrase “mountainous muscle butt in the tight white jeans” bothers you, this is not the book for you.
4: There are two “spells” thrown in at the end. The directions reminded me of Uncle Roger on Youtube:
Warning: book contains mentions of drunkenness, excessive drug use, death due to AIDS/HIV, explicit sex scenes, and profanity. You have a problem with any of them, walk away.