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 Gadarene story by Tina Anderson and novel by C. B. Potts
It's 1870. Our story opens in Five Points, the legendary New York City slum and cesspool of 19th century vice. Galen Driscol, a hard-edged Irish-American assassin, has just been let out of Ludlow Prison. It's been three years on the inside. Now he drifts through his familiar territory of pubs and street-corners, noting which things have changed. He's already planning how to get back in business as the Mongoose, his nom de guerre for his work as a hit man.
But first, in the tradition of good Irish boys everywhere, he pays a visit to his mother. She's a tough old broad, a prostitute who doesn't mince words. One of the first things she asks him about prison life is if he spent his days "playing wife." Galen reacts with amusing indignation at the suggestion.
He asks his mother about someone named Wira, and gets the reply (page 14): "Not laid an eye on him. Or her. Whatever the hell that one is calling itself." What an intriguing, succinct, and effective introduction to a most unusual character!
Galen heads down to the Bowery where he hears Wira is working. Finally he finds her – or is it him? Wira is a transgendered Polish-American man who self-identifies as a woman. He looks gorgeous in a gown and wig and earns his living as a prostitute. It turns out that he gets paid for various sex acts but not intercourse itself because he's been saving that for the past three years for Galen.
In a flirtatious scene, Galen follows Wira, admiring his lover who becomes aware of him. Wira leads Galen back to his apartment, not speaking, building up the anticipation. They kiss and flirt and Galen brings up water to heat for bathing. They bathe and then Galen meets Wira's brassy roommate Georgian (another transgendered male prostitute). Georgian discreetly steps out, and the two lovers have their first sexual encounter in three years. It's a hot scene!
But our lovers have more problems than not to increase the odds against their happiness. First, Galen's return to being a hit man may send him back to prison. Then Wira is a recovering alcoholic, trying to swear off liquor.
Worst of all, however, is their shared history of victimization. They met each other as young boys when they were captured by a child molester whom they knew only as Him. Working together, they managed to escape, but were scarred for life. It's this experience that probably set Wira to drinking and Galen to killing. Even now, Galen fantasizes about getting revenge on Him, even while Wira urges him to forget the past.
It's here where Gadarene takes an unexpected 90-degree turn from historical fiction to horror. Horror is not really my cup of tea, but the writing is good enough to make me willing to follow. Galen and Wira try to get on with their life together. But each finds himself haunted by the horrors of the past and Him. They suffer nightmares and hallucinations of murdered little boys, all victims of Him. Soon they realize that they must do something to put these ghosts to rest.
What did I dislike about Gadarene here at Obsidianbookshelf.com? Two small things jolted me out of the smooth escapism of the piece. They both connect with Wira's extended dream sequence on page 74. First, we seem to start the dream in Galen's viewpoint, complete with details about his next hit that Wira could not have known. Second, in the big scene that ends the novel, an object becomes important: a crate with rope handles. But the crate itself got created in Wira's dream. So, therefore, while the big end-scene is real, the crate should still be a figment of the imagination, right? I puzzled over these two things.
What did I like about Gadarene? There's a lot to like here: rich historical detail and smooth, energetic writing. Galen and Wira are complex and appealing characters. Wira is not just transgendered but intersex as well (having sexual characteristics of both males and females) which makes him a fascinating subject. Gadarene will please many readers, especially those looking for something distinctly different from anything they've ever read before! Plus the cover art is worth mentioning here.
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