Duplechan, Larry. Got ’til It’s Gone. Amber Dawn, ed. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp, 2009. 190p. $17.95. ISBN: 9781551522517.

Got ’til It’s Gone is Larry Duplechan‘s fifth novel, his first in fifteen years. 1985’s Eight Days a Week introduced the character Johnnie Ray Rousseau, whom he has described as “a young, black, openly gay, middle-class, college educated protagonist with a penchant for girl-group music, 1930s movie musicals and a well-placed wisecrack.” Johnnie is back, and the previous description remains accurate, although he’s no longer young (pushing fifty), and he’s starting to deal with the physical aches and pains of age.

This book finds Johnnie dashing between Los Angeles, where he has started seeing an amazingly gorgeous young man whom he met on the Internet (where else) and Palm Springs, where his beloved mother is undergoing some serious medical treatment. Although older and (perhaps) somewhat wiser, Johnnie is still capable of emitting the clever quip and wise observations well mixed with pop culture references, running from Cher to Tom Petty to Charlie Brown. The prose is snappy and well-paced, laced with pithy descriptions like, “tall, dark, and handsome. Very Christopher Reeve, post-Superman, pre-tragic horseback riding accident.” Or, “I think the word ‘epiphany’ has been grossly overused of late (as have the words ’empower,’ ‘self-esteem,’ and ‘latte.’).”

Got ’til It’s Gone deals with the eternal concerns of friends, family, and love, and reading the book is like catching up with an old pal who has survived, grown, and can still make you laugh. Though not profound, it is warm, engaging and definitely a good read. Recommended for all fiction collections.

Reviewed by Michael Colby
University of California, Davis