Richard Laymon Same Vein

RATING:

Date of Release: May 2002

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Review Source:

THE SNOW GARDEN by Christopher Rice

Rice's second gothic novel follows the secret dramas of Kathryn, a San Francisco waif on the run from dark sexual secrets back home; her black, militant lesbian roommate, April; her best friend, Randall, a mysterious, gay, Gucci-clad prince; his roommate, Jesse, an enigmatic and apparently irresistible sex god; Tim, gay muckraker for the campus paper; and Dr. Eric Eberman, an art history professor with a theory about Hieronymus Bosch which, the author seems to suggest, has something to do with the plot.

With us so far? Hang on to your hats...

Eberman is sleeping with Randall, and the news of his wife's sudden demise makes for a panicky recall of events of nearly 20 years ago. Randall, having just broken up with Tim, is finding it harder and harder to resist Jesse's mysterious magnetism, but in order to find out whether Eric is a murderer, starts sleeping with Tim again to probe Eric's past. Kathryn finds herself drawn to one of Eric's misfit grad students.

This whole relationship-muddle tends to blight what might otherwise have been a decent gay-themed mystery, but you may not want to relive freshman year for 400 pages in order to finally learn whodunit.

Not bad, but promised so much more.

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