Interborough

by Santino Hassell Narrated by Michael Ferraiuolo

Overview

The Raymond Rodriguez from a few years ago wouldn't recognize the guy he is today. He's left his slacker ways far behind him and is now juggling two jobs and school. But the balancing act doesn't allow much time for the man he loves.

David is doing his best to be supportive, but problems at work and his own insecurity leave him frustrated - in more ways than the obvious - whenever he goes to bed before Raymond gets home. The heat and affection between them is still there, but they barely have the time or energy to enjoy it. And it doesn't help that Raymond is still hiding David from his colleagues.

The stress mounts so high that a vacation in paradise is filled with turmoil instead of harmony, and culminates on their return to the five boroughs with broken promises and heartache. They have to figure out how to stop allowing their differences to overshadow their love. It's the only way they'll make it to forever.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A realistic return to a rocky romance that explores the challenges and joys of maintaining a long-term relationship." ~ Kirkus

Kirkus Reviews

2016-08-23
A relationship-in-trouble romance between opposites who still attract in one of New York City’s gay communities.This is the fourth book in Hassell's (First and First, 2016, etc.) Five Boroughs series, set among an interconnected group of gay men in New York. It picks up the established relationship between Raymond Rodriguez, a tough, blue-collar man from Queens, and David Butler, a privileged white suburban Connecticut kid. Raymond and David were polar opposites when they first met in Sunset Park (2015), Raymond smoking pot all day and living the slacker lifestyle, while David, a high school teacher, had clear career goals and motivation. In this installment, Raymond has matured, balancing two jobs and school, while David is going up for tenure. But while their sexual attraction is as strong as ever, their underlying differences remain a challenge for the couple: David is out and proud, while bisexual Raymond, new to gay relationships, prefers to keep their romance more private, especially at his workplace. As in Sunset Park, Hassell nicely explores how gayness as a personal and political identity means different things to different people. David tends to overanalyze their relationship, developing worries that stimulate his insecurities and create the very problems he wants to avoid. Readers who found David’s clinginess and insecurity difficult to take in Sunset Park will not find him much changed. Many will recognize the work stresses, jealousy over old loves, thoughtlessness, fear of abandonment, and poor communication that threaten this couple. Effectively written from alternating first-person points of view, Hassell deepens already well-rounded characters by putting them in a sophomore slump caused not by any external event but just by trying to blend two different lives. This is technically a stand-alone novel, but readers will benefit from a sense of this couple’s history as explored in the earlier book. A realistic return to a rocky romance that explores the challenges and joys of maintaining a long-term relationship.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171145019
Publisher:	Riptide Publishing
Publication date:	05/15/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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