April 29, 2024
In the bighearted and introspective latest from Moniz (Big Familia), a 30-something Latinx bisexual man puts his life back together in Northern California after his first baby is stillborn and his marriage falls apart. Efren “Chino” Flores, a high school biology teacher, returns from Seattle to his roots in San Francisco to recover from his grief. The narrative spans several years, beginning with Chino renting a sublet, reconnecting with friends, finding new lovers, and getting sober. He then spends a year in a Sonoma County cabin. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he forms a pod in Oakland with Metal Matt, who takes him to a nude beach for a bracing dip in the bay; Metal Matt’s girlfriend; and a mixed-race couple who offer food and hugs and dish on their secret OnlyFans account. He also reflects on the sexual encounters he’s had with men and women since separating from his wife and tries to find a way to love again despite the longing he feels for her. Moniz’s thoughtful narrative demonstrates the reparative power of friendship, and how it can even transcend the bonds of love. Readers will be entranced. Agent: Eleanor Jackson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
June 1, 2024
An intimate look into the bonds that rebuild us after tragedy. Thirty-seven-year-old Efren "Chino" Flores has just moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from Seattle. In Seattle, Chino lived with his wife, Luna, and taught middle school biology. But when Luna got pregnant and then had a miscarriage, the grief ripped them apart. Now, Chino must navigate a new beginning, relying on the support of his closest friends, Metal Matt and Mike and Kay, along with the romantic and sexual partners--both men and women--that he meets. Often the borders between sexual and platonic are not clear--for Chino, friendship toes the line of eroticism. Spanning the years 2018 to 2022 and the Covid-19 pandemic, the book follows Chino as he moves from San Francisco up to Guerneville and then to Oakland, teaching after-school classes about local wildlife to middle schoolers and eventually starting his own nature-based educational institution. Interwoven in the plot are vignettes of his childhood, teachings on ferns and other native plants, and meditations on ever-changing and ever-present grief: "There is something about grief that holds on to you. Or maybe it's you holding on to it. Like itching a scab, like stroking a scar. A reminder." Chino's voice is quirky and refreshingly frank: With a new lease on life, he's exploring what he likes and doesn't like, reflecting on the gifts and frustrations of friendship, sex, and loneliness. But there are moments in this story that feel thematically underdeveloped: At one point, Chino and his friends go to a spin class before heading out to protest a Nazi gathering; during the spin class, they all enthusiastically cheer "Fuck Nazis," a scene that feels both out of touch and a little overwrought. A thoughtful, tender, if somewhat earnest tribute to the joyful minutiae that sustain us.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
June 1, 2024
Just months ago, Chino's life looked completely different. He was painting a nursery as he and his wife expected a child. Now Chino's on his own in San Francisco. He vows to stay sober over the summer and celebrates two recent hookups. As Chino grapples with the devastation of losing the baby, his friends keep showing up as he finds a way forward. Metal Matt, Chino's best friend from college, brings his metalhead spirituality to their friendship, with aspiring writer Kay and copyeditor Mike rounding out their group. Moniz's (Big Familia, 2019) raw novel unfolds as a series of vignettes and escapades: dashing naked into the Pacific, spray-painting a literary tribute on a hotel sidewalk, attending a counterprotest to modern-day Nazis that becomes a street party. When COVID-19 strikes, the group forms a pod, navigating the strange, socially distanced world together. As romantic relationships come together and sometimes fall apart, Chino's friends are a constant, holding a mirror to Chino's life, supporting him, and helping shoulder the burden of his grief.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.