THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY
written and illustrated by Jameson Currier
A young man comes of age in the 1970s amid the camp and glamor of Atlanta’s underground drag scene in Currier’s novella.
“This is not a story about coming out,” asserts Billy Goodman, the narrator of this story, but it isa tale of a kind of close-knit community that one doesn’t often see in fiction. It begins with the small-town, blue-collar college student protagonist transferring to Atlanta during his sophomore year to pursue the literary arts and find a sense of community. A chance experience as a chorus member in a production of the musical Hello, Dolly! introduces him to David, the show’s choreographer and lead dancer. Through him, Billy becomes part of the local musical theater and drag scenes, where he discovers a passion for performance and comes to terms with his long-buried attraction to men. Billy spends a year frequenting drag clubs, gay bars, and bathhouses, falling in love with a few select men and gaining considerable sexual experience. He befriends the Spectacular Sisters, a group of drag performers who become his chosen family and act as mentors for Billy; they bring an engaging amount of drama and conflict to the novel. As Billy basks in the glitz, glamor, and camp of his new existence, he works through his sexual awakening. However, the accidental murder of a drug dealer and mercurial lover to many in the community changes everything. Currier’s novel is framed as the posthumously published memoir of a famed playwright, and it effectively evokes aspects of ’70s literature while painting each character with complexity and care. The end of the story goes a bit astray, as it labors under an oversized epilogue of fictional archival materials. However, readers will enjoy the tale’s vivid imagery as they immerse themselves in a refreshing take on a queer coming-of-age story. Burke’s full-color impressionistic portraits of the characters provide extra sweetness to an already decadent work.
A beautifully written, character-driven coming-of-age story that subverts clichés of queer literature.