GG/SG vs. The World

Gay Guy,

Just finished reading Stephen King's post-apocalyptic zombie novel, Cell.

Notable for this blog only in that the two heroes of the novel turn out to be... a gay guy and a straight guy. Clay (straight) and Tom (gay) find each other on a street corner in Boston at the moment when a "pulse" -- delivered by cell phones -- turns regular folks into blood-thirsty zombies. (Social commentary: Screw the Haves, power to the Have Nots.)

The story is told from Clay's POV, and Tom is not a fully-formed character, but this is not a character study. (Watch out, Tom, more zombies!)

Clay is attempting to get back to Maine (this is a King novel, after all) to see if his son has survived. Tom doesn't have a complex MO. (Uh-oh... don't go back there alone, Tom!) But the two stick together and eventually hatch a plan.

Sure, King could have done more with the character. Clay gets to reminisce on his failed marriage, while Tom mourns the loss of his cat. But King could have done too much, too. Better that Tom's sexuality was only mentioned to help define the character, but the stereotypes didn't dictate his actions. He's just a good guy, who wants to do the right thing.

GG, when the zombies come for us, I know I can count on you, too. How is that any different from our regular work week, anyway?

--Straight Guy

P.S. If your looking for better option for "end of the world" fiction, check out the ultra-bleak The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. (Don't trust me? It won the Pulizter Prize and was an Oprah selection.) A father and son cross a destroyed and desolate America, trying to find any shred of civilization. Dad has a gun and is committed to killing his son, should the cannibals get too close. Happy stuff. A good straight guy read. Soon to be a movie starring Viggo Mortensen.