Vulgarian Rhapsody

Vulgarian Rhapsody offers a whirlwind tour of San Francisco's fabled queer bohemia in the waning days of the 20th century. As the city's budget bon vivants strive to save their eccentric lifestyles amidst tech gentrification, LAMBDA award finalist Alvin Orloff brings this vibrant world to life.

Harris, San Francisco's most annoying gay barfly, doesn't mean to be bitchy, passive-aggressive, or insulting. However, he's so bedazzled by his own critical brilliance he feels morally obliged to share his scathing opinions with the world at any and every opportunity. This irritates no one more than his roommate, Maxine, an avant-garde transsexual cabaret singer. When she overhears him badmouthing her on the phone, she flies into a rage and expels him from their apartment.

This crisis couldn't come at a worse time. The year is 1999 and the "dot com" boom has rendered cheap housing nonexistent. Harris, who works as a part-time telemarketer, is—as usual—low on funds. Will he be able to convince one of his eccentric, semi-dysfunctional friends with a rent-controlled apartment to let him move in?

Vulgarian Rhapsody immerses readers in a fading bohemia of queer dive bars, drag clubs, and countercultural cafes. The book's narrator (a longtime frenemy of Harris who's every bit as snarky and annoying as he is) tells the story with sadistic relish and an ironist's eye for the absurd. Anyone feeling sickly from too many uplifting stories of personal empowerment, precious coming-of-age tales, or sugarcoated romances will find the perfect antidote in this hilariously acidic comedy of manners. A must-read for fans of Brontez Purnell, Phillippe Besson, and Ryan O'Connell.