Monday, June 11, 2007

I Am He And He Is Me

Some of you may be familiar with Robert Rodi from some of his previous books--1991's "Fag Hag" being the most infamous. Many have said that Rodi is one of the funniest and most prolific of gay authors writing today. His new book 'When You Were Me' is sure to reinforce his already wonderful reputation and I spent some down time this weekend breezing through the review copy I received at work.

The novel centers on Jack Ackerly - who, at 53, has a life that many simply dream about; independently weathly, Jack has the time to do whatever he wants. Frustratingly, Jack only wants to relive his youth.

Enter a few juicy players - including a steamy 26-year old named Corey - and next thing you know, with the help of a scattered new age witch named Francesca, they are offered the chance to switch bodies. To both of their surprises, the spell works, and they go their separate ways.

Jack (now Corey) initially tries to party like the 26 year old his body tells him he is, but finds that his maturity and experience gets in the way. Corey (now as Jack) tries to cope with Jack's severe allergies, tries to go on a workout regime to tone up Jack's otherwise-healthy body, and tries to step into Jack's life with his acquaintances that Jack had briefed him on.

There are some great moments in the light read - including a great twisted ending! I easily see this as PERFECT beach reading this summer ... even if you have no intention to step out on the sands. Nicely recommended.

But reading this book got me thinking - if I could, would I swap my body and life with that of a young hot thang?

A knee-jerk reaction is Hells-No! I did that once and I don't want to do it again ... but what if I did do it again, but with all the knowledge I have now embedded within my head? Would it make the experience any different? Would I live through my 20s differently the second time around?

What about you - would you?

Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment ... you don't need to have a Blogger account to post a comment here...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds delightful. That is always a thorny question, if you had to do it all again, would you? Could you?

Valorie said...

Nooooooooo! There are a few choice moments I'd like to relive, but without my mistakes and misfortunes, would I be the person I am today?

Chris Krakora said...

Anothr Rodi book that's an enjoyable read IMHO is Bitch Goddess.

If I had to live through my 20's any differently, I wish that I would have taken fuller advantage of events and opprotunities that were happening in that time period. (I was quite sheltered and introverted then, which made me afraid to do just that.) But then again, who doesn't wish that?

Anonymous said...

I do wish I could re-live my 20's knowing what I know now...or at least make a few better choices in two or three key areas.

Sound like a fun "lite" read!