It’s a common experience for gay adolescents, the elusive male companion who remains just out of reach. He’s the lad who larks about with you non-stop, incidentally pulling you into a friendly embrace, plants a peck on your cheek, spends the night sprawled across your room post-celebrations, and puts forth the suggestion of backpacking together post A-Level examinations. The lone activity he refrains from is a passionate kiss.
There are instances where the elusive lad is genuinely affable, utterly unaware of your deep-seated, albeit mumbling adoration. In other cases, he perhaps derives a thrill from possessing control over you emotionally. More often than not, he is the one who shatters your heart for the first time.
For Theron, the protagonist in August Thompson’s first novel, this elusive male companion is Jake. Their friendship develops during the summer while they work at a hardware shop in New Hampshire. Theron, an introverted 15-year-old with a passion for heavy metal, feels cumbersome and views himself as repugnant, much akin to Shrek’s less appealing younger sibling. Jake, on the other hand, is Theron’s perfect antithesis – outgoing, attractive, and amiable, effortlessly captivating anyone, of any age, who enters his sphere. It isn’t just Jake’s charming appearance that intrigues Theron, he is drawn to his entire persona because Jake personifies everything Theron aspires to be.
The profound isolation at the core of “Anyone’s Ghost” makes it a deeply touchy read. Much like other individuals his age, Theron lacks the emotional maturity to grapple with his feelings, thus he shadows Jake’s every move, emulates his actions, and fights back tears when a text from him goes unanswered.
The emotions conveyed within Thompson’s work are certainly universal, and I admire his choice to refrain from highlighting Theron’s sexual orientation. Seemingly, the focus in contemporary literature has shifted from the traumatic coming out experiences of the past – unless in comparison to stories from less developed nations, like Blessings from Nigerian author Chukwuebuka Ibeh which narrates a quite different perspective. Alternatively, Thompson focuses on the profound pain that accompanies one’s first love and the subsequent heartbreak that follows upon realising that the feelings harboured were more than a fleeting crush but indeed something much profounder.
The narrative unfolds over a decade, starting with the disclosure of Jake’s passing and ending with his untimely funeral – the unfortunate boy prone to car accidents, each one could potentially send him to his maker. Much akin to a character in a Final Destination film, a series of mishaps involving automobiles, trees, and intoxicated drivers finally leads to his demise.
Jake, despite being the main catalyst in Theron’s story, remains an enigma. He is committed to his seldom-seen girlfriend, Jess. His boundary-setting response to Theron’s ill-judged probing into their intimate affairs attests to his loyalty to Jess.
Thompson’s main character is decidedly more intricate. By resisting any definitive label on his sexuality, the protagonist emerges as a young man who is open to intimate relationships with anyone interested, regardless of their gender. In adulthood, he forges a wholly convincing relationship with a woman, Lou, all the while maintaining sexual relations with men, something she neither enthusiastically supports nor prohibits. Much like Jake’s girlfriend, Lou is a rather peripheral figure, hinting that she might have her own secret stories to reveal.
In this brilliant book, a single element failed to convincingly engage me, though detailing it could spoil the story. It is adequate to state that as in enduring relationships, the dynamics among characters alter as time passes, with a surprising twist that didn’t entirely captivate me. However, it is not an overstatement that when Theron becomes aware of his companion’s demise – a critical juncture in his existence, casually mentioned by a character oblivious to its import – it reverberates on par with Jack discovering Ennis’s unforeseen death in Brokeback Mountain.
The unreachable young man will always exist, yet an authentically impactful first novel that triumphs entirely on its intrinsic worth rather than pre-publicity is a rare gem. Still, “Anyone’s Ghost,” is certainly one such exquisite find.