Lazarus: A Novel

Lazarus

By Rashid Darden

356pp/$14.95

This is an exciting time for gay black male literature. New titles are appearing by established authors such as Keith Boykin, E. Lynn Harris and James Earl Hardy. Those men are mentoring newer writers, who are developing material of their own. Meanwhile, many other novices are finding their way into print via self-publishing, segueing from short stories, blogging, teaching, class assignments or a variety of other media. It's an amazing time in the history of GBM lit; this publishing season alone produces work by new writers such as Fred Smith, Christopher David and Rashid Darden.

Darden is a new name, probably unfamiliar to many but that will change. The Georgetown-educated, Washington DC-native son is celebrating the recent paperback publication of his first novel, Lazarus. It's a rich and diverse story, populated by eclectic characters, international college students, poets, student activists and and intimidating fraternity brothers. Ahh ... college days.

Undeniably, the work is quite personal: Rashid's resume boasts studies at Georgetown, London and Moscow; he's a writer, poet, teacher and frat brother. So all of this exeprience is combined into a wonderful literary stew that is comfort food for the soul.

Every recipe has ingredients, so let's start cooking. Here's the plot: Adrian Collins is a handsome underclassmen, a BMOC at the fictional Potomac U. It's probably a stand-in for Georgetown, but could just as easily be my school the U of Chicago, or any other research university in an urban setting. What's important to keep in mind is that Adrian is just minutes from home, but has no desire to return. His father left him a decade before, and Adrian and mom pass each other like two ships in the night. He immerses himself in work at school, falls for the most unlikely of men, and decides to pledge his father's frat.

Like many other gay men, Adrian is Type A and an overachiver--already VP of the student NAACP group--in his case trying to overcompensate for feelings of inadequacy from his father's desertion and his self-perception of being gay. Adrian has built an impressive facade but it crumbles when he meets Savion .. slender and smooth-talking, a Dominican senior from ... where else? ... New York. Savion is also a poet with a velvet tongue, and Adrian falls for him like a ton of bricks. Memo to Adrian: My Ex is Dominican and Haitian, I know all about it....

I saw his close-cropped black hair and dark eyes much more clearly now. His eyes were huge, dark brown and glassy. He and I were just about the same height, but he was more slender. All in all, he looked like your typical starving artist, clothes falling loose around his body.

Rashid's prose is simple, straightforward and focused, among the reasons why his work was likened to comfort food. By coupling the diplomatic Adrian with the bohemian and restless Savion, there's undeniable and unyielding conflict. Adrian is social but out only to his best girlfriend, Nina. Savion is a loner, and many suspect that he may be gay, if only because he is inattentive to his many female admirers.

Rashid's love scenes are brief but tender. He's not given to gratuitous intimacy, and perhaps we could have read a little more. But the relationship between Savion and Adrian is not a DL, fly by night affair. They're intellectuals, read Niki Giovanni to each other and parlay beautifully with words. As the book progresses, Adrian becomes drawn into another love: Beta Chi Phi. He looks to the frat for validation and completion, and as the story develops the brothers take more of his time. So much so, his relationship with Savion is threatened.

The book is neatly divided into four parts: Interest, Rush, Line and Crossing. The books reflect Adrian's stage in the frat process; anyone with just the basics of Greek 101 will understand the significance. For one of the first times, there is a detailed look at hazing and the induction provcess. It's a detailed story about some of the things we have heard about: discipline, hazing, paddling, homophobia and homoeroticism. There is plenty of all this, and this is hot ...

Let's not give any spoilers away, but Adrian's secret is almost revealed .. and he will have to make definite choices about his sexuality, his frat committment and his life.

In an interview with novelist Trent Jackson, Darden said he wanted Lazarus to cover new ground. "It was time for certain taboos to be broken among African Americans. We have not yet taken a critical look at certain issues raised in Lazarus, namely gay people in fraternities and dealing with the effects of hazing on our people. I don't provide the answers -- but I hope this novel provides the start for some much needed social change."

No book is perfect. At 356 pages, Lazarus is not a quick read. But the prose is easy, and the characters are likeable and comforting. There are many of them, but this reflects the reality of collegiate life. And while the Adrian and Savion story is center-stage in book one, it takes a back seat in the next two books and then comes to a wonderful boil toward the end. This is a book of renewal, process and discovery, hence the title. Reading Lazarus is like finding a comfortable sweater on a crisp fall afternoon.

Comments

[Rodel]

I just have one comment, the book is average as far as page numbers go. 365...if thats a not a quick read to you than whats 857 cuz thats how long the last book was that i read took me two and a half days i think but thats only cuz i had finals to study for. But anyway i hope the book is as good and you guys are saying it is i am definely going to check it out.

[Tom]

What a good face he has.... intertesting post, makes me want to see and read more. You are cutting edge babe!

[Zac]

Dominican & Haitian...wow is that mix as rare as I think?

Hmm I think this will be interesting on of my best friends is gay and pleged a fraternity. I wonder will there be any similiaritys.

[Jimmy]

I have ordered Rashid's "LAZARUS" and can't wait to read it, thanks to Rod's review..

[lewis]

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOUR BOOK IN STORES, BUT HAVE BEEN UNSECESSFUL IN FINDING IT. IS IT POSSIBLE YOU CAN TELL ME WHEN IT WILL BE ON THE SHELVES?

[malik]

Just finished LAZARUS this weekend; it was hot. It really took me back to my fraternal days (or should that be "daze"?) and the conflicts i had to wrestle with. I appreciated LAZARUS, and i can't wait for the sequel. Is it perfect? 'Course not. But it is, as you say, comfort food. And quite a bit better than what i've come to expect from what seems like a recent glut of self-published, black gay fiction.

Kudos to my frat, Rashid!!!