Chamblee54

PG just finished reading “Gossip“, by Christopher Bram. The Chamblee Library gets another thank you.
“Gossip” is the story of Ralph Eckhart. He works in a New York bookstore and has a few friends. One night, Ralph meets a man in Washington, D.C., in a computer chatroom. They arrange to meet.
The meeting goes very well at first, until Ralph and Bill get to know each other. Bill writes for a conservative magazine, and has a book coming out about the horrors of Hillary. Ralph, a liberal New Yorker, is not amused.
The romance goes on well enough, despite the misgivings of Ralph. Bill invites Ralph to a conference in Miami, and Ralph becomes even more upset with Bill’s lifestyle. Ralph decides to break off the affair, and sends Bill an angry email.
Bill appears on TV to promote his new book. At some point in the interview, he comes out. Bill does so in a clumsy manner, and the few people paying attention are upset. Bill phones Ralph to tell him that this coming out was for Ralph, and that he wants him back. Ralph says a few, poorly chosen, angry words. Ralph is not aware that Bill records his phone calls.
The next time the Ralph hears about Bill is when he reads of his murder. It gets more personal for Ralph later, when he is arrested for the murder. (spoiler alert) The reader should not worry. The charges are thrown out, and we learn who did the deed.
“Gossip” is fun for the nostalgia. It is set in the early nineties, in the infancy of the internet. No one has a cell phone, you unplug your phone to use your computer, and the Clintons are the worst people on earth. For a fairly apolitical southerner, the New York/Washington angle of the story reads like science fiction.
“Gossip” is a gripping story. You will be eager to see the next turn of the plot. After a while, though, you begin to wonder how real it is. After the trip to Miami, the plot turns get weirder and weirder. The reader does not worry about reality should have a good time.