Pretzel Logic

Pretzel Logic, Lisa Rogak, Williams Hill Publishing, 1999

A little-discussed aspect of coming out as a gay person is: what if it happens while the person is married? What happens to the relationship with the spouse?

Emily and Michael Spencer were, by all accounts, happily married and publishing a small-town weekly newspaper. Gradually, Michael becomes bitter, sullen and withdrawn. Emily's first thought was "midlife crisis". Eventually, she learns that Michael is gay.

In the beginning, Emily tries to sympathize with Michael's need to be gay, thinking that it's just a phase in his life. She finds a support group of other straight spouses, and learns that things with Michael will never return to the way they were. Through all this, Emily tries to understand Michael's feelings, including, for instance, what makes a person want to be intimate with someone of the same gender.

This book does a very good job looking at the institution of marriage, and what makes a marriage worth fighting for. It has humor and fairness, and some quite explicit pieces, too. This isn't just a very good, well-written gay novel, it's a very good, well-written novel.