Synopses & Reviews
Fiction. LGBT Studies. Asian American Studies. In this daring first novel, tour-de-force experiments in narrative structure, pidgin, and perspective roll every "are," throwing new light on gay identity and the trauma of assimilation. "The prose is delirious, dense, and florid. The kids bloom in rapid-fire stories, blossoming like flowers in hothouse air. Their talk is dizzying, full of sex, television, and cheap, glamorous dreams. It's Our Town in the American 1970s"—Matthew Stadler.
Synopsis
Illuminated by pop fantasies, Donna Summer disco tracks and teen passion, the fiercely earnest characters in Rolling the R's come to life against the background of burning dreams and neglect in a small 1970s Hawaiian community. In this daring first novel, tour-de-force experiments in narrative structure, pidgin and perspective roll every -are- and throw new light on gay identity and the trauma of assimilation. Rolling the R's goes beyond -coming of age- and -coming out- to address the realities of cultural confusion, prejudice and spiraling levels of desire in humorous yet haunting portraits that are, as Matthew Stadler writes, -stylish, shameless and beautiful.-
About the Author
R. Zamora Linmark is the author of Rolling The R's, Prime Time Apparitions, The Evolution of a Sigh, and Leche, sequel to Rolling The R's. A two-time Fulbright Scholar, he has received grants and fellowships from the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission, and twice from the Fulbright Foundation, in 1998, and as a Senior Scholar in 2005. His residencies include the Macdowell Colony, the Corporation of Yaddo, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and, most recently, Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain. He has taught at the U.C. Santa Cruz, De La Salle University in the Philippines, and most recently, at the University of Hawaii in Manoa where he was the Distinguished Visiting Writer. His writings can be found in many anthologies including Charlie Chan is Dead (edited by Jessica Hagedorn).