All Gays Go to Heaven is the third book by now dubbed Queerbook.com’s “New Gay Author of 2010”, Reece Manley. Dr. Manley’s first two books included a lot of professional initials after his name, but this one simply credits him as Reece Wyman Manley. It shows the author’s shift from teaching to simply counting in this first highly engaging work of his.
All Gays Go to Heaven follows Reece from the moment he makes the decision to undergo weight loss surgeries that go terribly wrong in his current life. In the retelling of her story, she follows the ancient story of the hero’s journey with all the elements included in her actual journey. What makes the book stand out is that Reece doesn’t hide anything. All the ugliness of a life – incest, beatings, abuse, addiction – to all the beauty that life can contain – love, friendship, spirituality and an authentic life.
Reece’s life nemesis comes in the form of an injury during his bariatric surgery, slimming him down from 414 pounds to 170 pounds. However, the injury incapacitates him with a neuropathy that causes chronic pain in his feet. Pain takes the form of a giant black bird in a graphic passage from the memoir, deliciously feeding on her exposed feet. It’s a difficult image to shake as one progresses through the pages.
Soon, there are plenty of smiles served by their peers and the exploration of a seemingly lively gay life in the city of Lubbock, Texas. His friend Jeff delivers the best lines of dialogue in her simple task of answering his phone. “Jeff’s House of Coffins, our prices are to die for!” Concise becomes adorable. In addition, a mentor appears in Reece’s life full of wisdom in all matters of her life. The balance between the characters is tense at times and a bit choppy, but the overall effect is intriguingly readable.
The title of All Gays Go to Heaven comes from a conversation Reece has during his hospital treatment for the trauma of his near-death experience. He simply reveals the new Truth of his that there is a loving and omnipotent Source that we all eventually come to after we die. The story ends with his hopeful control over his life path, his sanity, and the containment of the pain that still lurks in the corners.
All Gays Go to Heaven is 189,000 words long, but a rich and simple writing style makes the journey not only enjoyable, but inspiring.
Five stars.
Craig Williams, Ph.D.