David Leddick
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My Worst Date
David Leddick Hugo is 16 and lives in the somewhat mythical gay Mecca of South Beach. His days outside of school are spent lounging on the beach with his female friend ogling the young guys walking around in skimpy outfits. Hugo is very self-reliant; he lives with his divorced mother, he has come to terms with being gay, he does well in school, and everyone seems to really like him.But just when he thinks everything is going right, some extremely unpredictable events spin his life off the tracks he had been comfortably following. He meets a handsome, thirty-something man and falls in love. The problem is, the man is also having an affair with Hugo’s mother. In the meantime, to earn college money, Hugo begins stripping in a gay dance club and is shocked with his estranged father does not recognized him and attempts to pick him up. Toss in a few other plot twists, like his thirty-something boyfriend is an ex-porn star and once was the lover of the boy Hugo’s best friend is dating, and the story really starts to roll.
There are plenty of other sub-plots, but they all add up to Hugo trying to deal with his nearly out-of-control life, in a mature manner.
The protagonist, Hugo, is 16 and certainly mature for his age. He has plans for himself. He is reassured that he is ready for what life has to offer him. Unfortunately for him, he could never have planned for the events he encounters. When I read the book, I was very pleased with the Hugo character. He, as it happens, was one of the only characters in the book that was believable or credible. Perhaps, this is because his emotions are clearly very lovable and his intentions are always admirable. I could not say this about anyone else from this story.
Hugo’s love interest, Glenn, is written as a hunky, successful, loveable person, but his actions show quite a different side. I do not believe the author intended this, and as a result, Glenn seems quite contrived and phony. The other characters were along the same lines. Ken, who is Glenn’s ex-lover, seems never to have the motivation to do the things he does. I do not feel the author gave us enough information about those motivations or his extremely unlikely and ambiguous sexuality, and again, as a result he is unbelievable.
The book is very fast paced, and do not be surprised if you finish it in a couple of hours. Overall, it is an interesting look at the life of a 16 year old trying to make life altering decisions while receiving conflicting information from the adults around him. Also do not be fooled by the cover. While there are several semi-steamy sex scenes (such as depicted in the hotel room during Hugo’s and Glenn’s trip to New York City) the sex is generally implied. In fact, the model on the cover does not fit the description of anyone in the book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book for light reading or for a short romp into the cliché-filled world of South Beach.
Related Titles
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By: Jim Grimsley
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