A hysterically funny, touching, and perceptive novel about two men about to embark on parenthood.
Wyatt and Biz are having a baby. They’ve been together for 12 years and have both wanted to be parents—but now that their surrogate (a queer woman) is almost due, they’re each having doubts about their own relationship. Spontaneous Biz has an idea—a cross-country road trip from their home in Brooklyn to their surrogate in California, hitting all of their favorite gay locales, as a last hurrah and a way to reconnect before parenthood. Wyatt the planner creates an itinerary, starting with Provincetown, but when the two men and their dog Matilda arrive, they can’t even agree on what to do there.
An emergency with Wyatt’s extended family then overturns his well-laid plans—and things are further complicated when Biz loses his job and is afraid to tell Wyatt. As Wyatt uncovers family secrets about his own long-absent father and Biz continues to worry about his own ability to parent, the distance between them grows further. But as they visit each of their families, attend the wedding of old friends, and make new ones, they have the chance to reflect on the past even as they look ahead to an unknown future. Can they find a way to make things work, despite the bumps along the way?
Author Sidney Karger has created a novel that manages to be both exceedingly gay (in all the best ways), but also to shine a light on some of the universal challenges of relationships and the concerns of parents-to-be. The humor of the story coats sharp observations about human nature, making for a delightful and surprisingly moving read. Highly recommended for prospective parents of any identity—and if someone isn’t trying to make this into a feature film, they’re missing a huge opportunity.
