The Genius of Desire - Paperback

Hopelessly drawn to the romantic notion of a double life, young Michael Bellman spends summers in Monsalvat, Michigan, coming of age in a loving tangle of highly eccentric relatives: Great Uncle Jimmy speaks to his dead wife during meals; Cousin Anne torments Michael beyond endurance; reckless Cousin Tommy secretly smokes cigars and can't wait to "kick butt in 'Nam" - and Michael watches every magical move he makes.

"An engaging novel with a narrator you may already know - he's catholic, he's whimsical, he's contemplative and amusing. He also happens to be gay."

- Sandra Scoppettone

"The Genius of Desire touches on oddities in life with a warm sense of reality ... Bouldrey's style evokes a reverence for the small epiphanies of youth."

- Bay Area Reporter

"Bouldrey is both a fine storyteller - attentive, compassionate, witty - and a highly intriguing stylist. In The Genius of Desire everything is in balance, no one is predictable, and Bouldrey's narrator is the perfect host. I was never less than enthralled." - Dennis Cooper

"A fresh and moving tale ... The author is particularly skilled at humor but handles the serious moments with wisdom and care ... An impressive debut."

"A simply told story of a young boy growing into manhood and evolving into himself in the midst of the contradictions, deceptions, denial, ignorance, pretensions, confusions, prejudices, and all the other weaknesses that flesh is heir to ... In one way or another this is the same world we must all find our way through and/or out of. I'm certain many other readers will enjoy this book as much as I did." - Hubert Selby, Jr.