In Zak Salih’s Novel, Gay Men Find Places in a Rapidly Changing World

×

Expand

Image via Boswell Books

When it comes to culture wars, what one party sees as a historic victory will inevitably be viewed by someone else as the end of a celebrated past. After the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, two fictional gay men living in the nation’s capital had dramatically different reactions. In DC-based writer Zak Salih’s novel, Let’s Get Back to the Party, the lives of thirty-somethings Sebastian and Oscar illustrate the widely varied experiences surrounding what it means to be a gay man in contemporary America.

After the marriage equality high-court ruling, high school art teacher Sebastian wants nothing more than to settle down and begin a legally sanctioned domestic life in the suburbs, so when he reconnects with a high school friend, the newly single Sebastian thinks it might be a second chance. His childhood friend Oscar, however, has a very visceral reaction to what Sebastian sees as equality, and he pushes back vehemently against what he perceives as the death of gay culture. Instead of connecting with each other, the two men find solace in others, Sebastian with one of his students and Oscar with a famous author of the AIDS era. Their parallel narratives paint evocative and emotional accounts of two men trying to find their places in a rapidly changing world.

Let’s Get Back to the Party is Salih’s debut novel. His writings have previously appeared in the Rumpus, the Millions and other publications. Salih will discuss his new book at a 7 p.m. March 3 virtual event co-sponsored by Outwords Books and Boswell Book Company.