Christopher Kell’s first novel shows the destructive effects of bullying and sexual obsession. Terrence O’Connell first called Ben Reilly “gaywad” when they were in seventh grade in 1986. Ben didn’t fight back because he knew that Terrence’s name-calling was true–and because he was in love with Terrence. Terrence’s bullying continued until their junior year in high school when he followed Ben home one day. Ben knows he will always remember Terrence saying, “Don’t fall.”
Ten years later, a violent incident at the Staten Island high school where Ben teaches revives his bad memories. Ben vows to locate Terrence and get revenge–by seducing him. Finding that Terrence is a successful magazine writer in New York, Ben contacts him. Can “old enemies” become “new friends”?
Nobody knows a bully as well as his victim. And Ben is relentless in his pursuit of Terrence. Kelly drenches the cat-and-mouse scenes between the two young men with sexual tension and clever dialogue. Ben thinks he knows what he wants; Terrence doesn’t know who he is. When they go mountain biking in Vail, push finally comes to shove. They both find that getting revenge can really be a bitch.
A Push and a Shove is a swift-moving, entertaining, yet disturbing novel. Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Debut Fiction, this novel is highly recommended for gay fiction collections.
Reviewed by W. Stephen Breedlove
Reference Librarian/Interlibrary Loan Coordinator
La Salle University Library