Ray Henriques has success, love, friendship ... but lately it's not enough. Yet it's not just Ray who is on a quest for deeper meaning. For Jesse, Ray's lover of ten years, it is a quest accelerated by his imminent death from AIDS. And for young married father of two Mike Tedesco, it is a search for the heart of masculinity. The sexual exploration which begins when Ray and Mike meet awakens a restlessness in both men, which resoundingly alters their future paths. As Ray's life begins to draw him increasingly into the future, a future without Jesse, he attempts to tether himself to the here and now with frequent visits to a past where life's answers seemed simpler and more meaningful. But when Jesse's fundamentalist Christian mother rolls into town to take charge of her son's final weeks, he is yanked from his reverie to face an opponent unlike any he has ever known. Marked by shifting points of view, humor, descriptive brilliance and unexpected revelation, is a multifaceted exploration of inner lives, motivation, love, and the sometimes hollow center beneath a polished surface. First published to acclaim in 2001, this new edition features a 2019 foreword by the author. About Felice Picano: A five-time Lambda Literary Award nominee, Felice Picano's books include the best-selling novels Like People in History and . Along with Edmund White, Andrew Holleran, Robert Ferro, Michael Grumley, Christopher Cox and George Whitmore, he founded The Violet Quill to promote and increase the visibility of gay authors and their works. His 12th novel, , was published in 2019. Press Notice: "The Godfather of Gay Lit" - "Picano has always drawn his main characters as gay heroes, unashamed and unafraid of who they are and what life has to offer, whether positive or negative. This, ultimately, is the measure of Picano's genius." - "Picano's enhance[s] his reputation as a major chronicler of gay life and culture" -