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I Remember Father
You Can Say You Knew Me When
by K.M. Soehnlein
by K.M. Soehnlein
Jamie Garner is returning to his hometown in New
Jersey for the first time in years. The occasion is
his estranged father's funeral. His father could
never accept the fact that Jamie was gay, and this
haunts every facet of Jamie's life back in San
Francisco at the height of the dot-com bubble.
Jamie's long absence has created tension
between him and his relatives, even his
once-close sister Deirdre. Jamie is wondering why
he even bothered coming back when he stumbles
across a box of old memories from his father's
youth -- a year spent in "Frisco" as a Beatnik...and
a photograph of a beautiful young man
mysteriously signed "You can say you knew me
when."
Jamie becomes obsessed with piecing together
the events of his father's life in San Francisco so
many years ago. Was his father gay? Why did he
have so many gay friends then but totally reject
his son years later? And why would he never
speak of his year in San Francisco? Jamie hunts
down and interviews people mentioned in his
father's letters and journal, he visits the places his
father visited, he reads the books his father read,
but the man in the photograph remains
tantalizingly out of reach.
As Jamie's obsession grows, his life begins to fall
apart. He starts using drugs more and more, he
completely neglects his work, and he even starts
cheating on Woody, his steady boyfriend. Can
Jamie find what he's looking for in his father's life
before he destroys his own?
You Can Say You Knew Me When is author K.M.
Soehnlein's second novel, following his
well-received The World of Normal Boys. His
second offering is a very grown-up story with
considerable recreational drug use as well as
unprotected sex. It's also well-told and beautifully
written.
All of the characters are well-drawn. There is a full
cast of vivid secondary characters. There's
Woody, Jamie's boyfriend who is so immersed in
his dot-com enterprise that he's spending less and
less time with Jamie; Jamie's sister Deirdre,
prematurely aged and weighed down from the
responsibility of caring for her husband, son, dying
father, and failing grandmother; and Ian, Jamie's
best friend who is always there to give advice,
even if it may not be what's best for Jamie. There's
even a rich third layer of characters, from Jed,
Jamie's boy-toy fling to Jamie's philandering, yet
charming cousin Tommy. And we can't forget
Dean Foster, AKA Danny Ficchino, the elusive
B-movie star from the photograph.
Soehnlein has proven himself a versatile and
talented author. You Can Say You Knew Me
When is a powerful story of self-destruction and
obsession -- and the redemptive power of love
and acceptance. By the time you turn the last
page, you'll feel as if you know these people
intimately, and you'll be glad you met them. -- Josh
Aterovis. P&A
Jersey for the first time in years. The occasion is
his estranged father's funeral. His father could
never accept the fact that Jamie was gay, and this
haunts every facet of Jamie's life back in San
Francisco at the height of the dot-com bubble.
Jamie's long absence has created tension
between him and his relatives, even his
once-close sister Deirdre. Jamie is wondering why
he even bothered coming back when he stumbles
across a box of old memories from his father's
youth -- a year spent in "Frisco" as a Beatnik...and
a photograph of a beautiful young man
mysteriously signed "You can say you knew me
when."
Jamie becomes obsessed with piecing together
the events of his father's life in San Francisco so
many years ago. Was his father gay? Why did he
have so many gay friends then but totally reject
his son years later? And why would he never
speak of his year in San Francisco? Jamie hunts
down and interviews people mentioned in his
father's letters and journal, he visits the places his
father visited, he reads the books his father read,
but the man in the photograph remains
tantalizingly out of reach.
As Jamie's obsession grows, his life begins to fall
apart. He starts using drugs more and more, he
completely neglects his work, and he even starts
cheating on Woody, his steady boyfriend. Can
Jamie find what he's looking for in his father's life
before he destroys his own?
You Can Say You Knew Me When is author K.M.
Soehnlein's second novel, following his
well-received The World of Normal Boys. His
second offering is a very grown-up story with
considerable recreational drug use as well as
unprotected sex. It's also well-told and beautifully
written.
All of the characters are well-drawn. There is a full
cast of vivid secondary characters. There's
Woody, Jamie's boyfriend who is so immersed in
his dot-com enterprise that he's spending less and
less time with Jamie; Jamie's sister Deirdre,
prematurely aged and weighed down from the
responsibility of caring for her husband, son, dying
father, and failing grandmother; and Ian, Jamie's
best friend who is always there to give advice,
even if it may not be what's best for Jamie. There's
even a rich third layer of characters, from Jed,
Jamie's boy-toy fling to Jamie's philandering, yet
charming cousin Tommy. And we can't forget
Dean Foster, AKA Danny Ficchino, the elusive
B-movie star from the photograph.
Soehnlein has proven himself a versatile and
talented author. You Can Say You Knew Me
When is a powerful story of self-destruction and
obsession -- and the redemptive power of love
and acceptance. By the time you turn the last
page, you'll feel as if you know these people
intimately, and you'll be glad you met them. -- Josh
Aterovis. P&A
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