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The Spring before Obergefell
It’s not easy for a middle-aged gay man to find love out in small-town America, so when Mike Breck blows his shot with a local guy just as lonely as he is, he’s got to open up to the people around him to figure out how to angle for a second chance.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
144 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin S. Grossberg
13 books12 followersBenjamin S. Grossberg's latest collection of poetry, My Husband Would (University of Tampa Press, 2020), won the 2021 Connecticut Book Award in poetry and was a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year. His other collections include Space Traveler (University of Tampa Press, 2014) and Sweet Core Orchard (University of Tampa Press, 2009), winner of the 2008 Tampa Review Prize and the 2009 Lambda Literary Award for poetry. He is also the author of a novel, The Spring Before Obergefell (University of Nebraska Press, 2024), which won the AWP Award Series James Alan McPherson Prize. His poems have appeared widely, including in The Pushcart Prize and Best American Poetry anthologies. He also co-edited the anthology, The Poetry of Capital (University of Wisconsin Press, 2021), which curates poems that address the economic challenges of our moment. Ben is Director of Creative Writing at the University of Hartford.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 21, 2024
Something special, which deserves much more attention than it's gotten so far.
Mike Breck, the narrator and protagonist, is a 50-year-old gay man living in small-town Ohio. He cobbles together a scant living out of handyman work, a part-time job at Lowe's, and an adjunct gig at the local community college. His elderly, ill-tempered Republican father has lived with him since Mike's mother died. He's had plenty of hookups and he spends plenty of time chatting with variously located men on apps, but he's never had a long-term relationship; he's not sure he wants one and anyway he's pretty sure he's incapable of such a thing. Fortunately, he meets two men, Matteo and Dave, and his relationships with them quietly dynamite his assumptions; meanwhile, his father's new absolutely-not-girlfriend, Beth, is busy blowing up his dad's.
The Spring Before Obergefell is a love story, and it does end happily, so I'm calling it a romance, and I will insist that that's a compliment. Mike's romance becomes possible because -- well, it's not that he panics, exactly, but his awareness of how and why he's allowed his emotional life to close down reaches critical mass. This is partly thanks to Matteo, who can be breathtakingly acerbic in his judgments and isn't, I think, always correct in them -- but he forces Mike to ask himself essential questions, and he requires an honesty and vulnerability that Mike hasn't allowed himself in a long time, or maybe ever. And it's partly because of Dave.
Dave feels right to Mike almost from their first meeting. This doesn't make anything easy, as we discover when Mike pours out his sense of hope and possibility to Dave. I was sorely, sorely tempted to check the ending, so I could brace myself in case things went as badly as I feared. Don't let yourself be tempted: let Mike's fear, struggle, hope carry you along.
As usual, I didn't need or particularly want the epilogue, but its last paragraphs are beautiful so all is forgiven. Please read this unusual and moving book.
Thanks to the U of Nebraska Press and NetGalley.
ETA: The digital list price for The Spring Before Obergefell is startlingly high for those of us used to traditional publishing and self-publishing. Ben Grossberg dropped by this review to let potential readers know there's a coupon code: 40% with code 6AF24 at nebraskapress.unl.edu. That brings the price in line with what non-academic publishers are charging for, e.g., Freya Marske's books. 🎉
Mike Breck, the narrator and protagonist, is a 50-year-old gay man living in small-town Ohio. He cobbles together a scant living out of handyman work, a part-time job at Lowe's, and an adjunct gig at the local community college. His elderly, ill-tempered Republican father has lived with him since Mike's mother died. He's had plenty of hookups and he spends plenty of time chatting with variously located men on apps, but he's never had a long-term relationship; he's not sure he wants one and anyway he's pretty sure he's incapable of such a thing. Fortunately, he meets two men, Matteo and Dave, and his relationships with them quietly dynamite his assumptions; meanwhile, his father's new absolutely-not-girlfriend, Beth, is busy blowing up his dad's.
The Spring Before Obergefell is a love story, and it does end happily, so I'm calling it a romance, and I will insist that that's a compliment. Mike's romance becomes possible because -- well, it's not that he panics, exactly, but his awareness of how and why he's allowed his emotional life to close down reaches critical mass. This is partly thanks to Matteo, who can be breathtakingly acerbic in his judgments and isn't, I think, always correct in them -- but he forces Mike to ask himself essential questions, and he requires an honesty and vulnerability that Mike hasn't allowed himself in a long time, or maybe ever. And it's partly because of Dave.
Dave feels right to Mike almost from their first meeting. This doesn't make anything easy, as we discover when Mike pours out his sense of hope and possibility to Dave. I was sorely, sorely tempted to check the ending, so I could brace myself in case things went as badly as I feared. Don't let yourself be tempted: let Mike's fear, struggle, hope carry you along.
As usual, I didn't need or particularly want the epilogue, but its last paragraphs are beautiful so all is forgiven. Please read this unusual and moving book.
Thanks to the U of Nebraska Press and NetGalley.
ETA: The digital list price for The Spring Before Obergefell is startlingly high for those of us used to traditional publishing and self-publishing. Ben Grossberg dropped by this review to let potential readers know there's a coupon code: 40% with code 6AF24 at nebraskapress.unl.edu. That brings the price in line with what non-academic publishers are charging for, e.g., Freya Marske's books. 🎉
November 19, 2024
For a short book this took me a relatively long time to get through.
That was in no way due to the writing, which was clear and unobtrusive. And insightful now and then. And the back half of the book is fantastic, even if it ended a little earlier than I might have liked.
I can not, however, give it full marks, as the first third was a bit… well, let’s just say I found myself picking up another book, another short book, in fact, that is itself taking me even longer to get through, though for very different reasons.
The problem, I think, is that while Mike and his situation are relatable, what we’re getting at first is his life as it was, and Mike seems utterly content with it. No angst, and no hook, no tension, no suspense. Not until Dave orders a coffee, and the whole water heater situation is there a question pulling me forward, and I must say my imagined answers were far more dramatic than anything the book gave me, right up until the very end.
But I’m glad I stuck it out. There is something special about the book. I read more m/m romance than proper gay fiction, and Mike’s not the sort of character you find in that genre, which is kind of a shame.
Recommended, but mind your expectations.
That was in no way due to the writing, which was clear and unobtrusive. And insightful now and then. And the back half of the book is fantastic, even if it ended a little earlier than I might have liked.
I can not, however, give it full marks, as the first third was a bit… well, let’s just say I found myself picking up another book, another short book, in fact, that is itself taking me even longer to get through, though for very different reasons.
The problem, I think, is that while Mike and his situation are relatable, what we’re getting at first is his life as it was, and Mike seems utterly content with it. No angst, and no hook, no tension, no suspense. Not until Dave orders a coffee, and the whole water heater situation is there a question pulling me forward, and I must say my imagined answers were far more dramatic than anything the book gave me, right up until the very end.
But I’m glad I stuck it out. There is something special about the book. I read more m/m romance than proper gay fiction, and Mike’s not the sort of character you find in that genre, which is kind of a shame.
Recommended, but mind your expectations.
November 5, 2024
It’s strange how a book like this—small-town rural Ohio circa 2015—can feel like an artifact of the past and yet an ongoing present. Mike is middle-aged, gay, single, and lost, with no cultural script for how someone like him can find connection and happiness. He believes the best he can hope for is hookup apps and casual flings, until he meets the capricious Matteo and the enigmatic Dave, who each challenge him in different ways.
What stood out to me is that, just like Mike without a script, this book has no formula. It’s not a romance that would fit in that genre; it’s not quite litfic of a midlife crisis either. It feels like it’s mapping new terrain, page by page, stuck when Mike is stuck, forging new paths as Mike forges them, unpredictable the way real life is. It could have gone any number of ways right up until the end, which makes the outcome all the more poignant. As another review on Goodreads says, it opens up portals of possibility, with a tough conversations along the way. I like that. I like the idea that those portals are there to find. New scripts to be written, new paths to forge, new maps to make. With a bit of guts, with a bit of love, with a bit of honesty and vulnerability. May we all be so brave.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What stood out to me is that, just like Mike without a script, this book has no formula. It’s not a romance that would fit in that genre; it’s not quite litfic of a midlife crisis either. It feels like it’s mapping new terrain, page by page, stuck when Mike is stuck, forging new paths as Mike forges them, unpredictable the way real life is. It could have gone any number of ways right up until the end, which makes the outcome all the more poignant. As another review on Goodreads says, it opens up portals of possibility, with a tough conversations along the way. I like that. I like the idea that those portals are there to find. New scripts to be written, new paths to forge, new maps to make. With a bit of guts, with a bit of love, with a bit of honesty and vulnerability. May we all be so brave.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2025
The Spring Before Obergfell is a gay romance but also a novel about middle-aged ennui with a powerful central metaphor comparing playing poker with online dating/settling down. The prose are gorgeous and had me counting syllables at time to see where he was slipping in iambic pentameter.
December 24, 2024
4.75 stars rounded up to 5 because it's exactly the type of story I've always wanted to read, yet it rarely gets told in the romance genre.
September 29, 2024
It's late winter/early spring in 2015. Mike is nearly 50 and he's lost. He teaches English classes at a local college part-time, works at Lowe's, and picks up a handyman job here and there to help make ends meet. He lives in a house he bought years ago, and his father moved in with him three years ago after his mother died.
Mike and his father have always had a strained relationship, but they tolerate each other while sharing the home together, although they spend most of the time apart in different parts of the house. Mike isn't sure that he wants more, but he is positive that this life isn't working for him.
He spends a lot of time on a hookup app, chatting with random guys around the world, but struggles to make a connection with any of them. A tryst with a younger guy named Josh goes awry when Josh's partner Gary shows up at Mike's house demanding that Josh come home with him. Mike and Josh only got together for the physical aspects of hooking up rather than any emotional connection. Mike starts to realize that maybe he does need more than just sex with another guy.
The problem for Mike is that he doesn't really know how to have a relationship with a man that goes beyond the physical. He grew up with a father who was always at work, and when he was home often expressed anger and rage toward Mike and his older sister as well as to their mom. This is really the only male-to-male relationship Mike has ever had, and it damaged him so much he doesn't really believe that it's possible.
But then Mike meets Dave in a parking lot, and there's a hint that sparks may fly. He also meets Matt, the brother of a women that Mike had done a handyman project for. Mike and Matt have a date that ends with them having sex at Matt's place. Mike isn't sure what his feelings are for Matt, and although he's curious about Dave, he isn't sure whether Dave is even gay or interested in him. But he wants to find out.
To avoid spoilers, I'll stop the synopsis here. I love a book where you can see and feel the growth of the main character, and this book is all about Mike's growth as a human and a man. Grossberg's prose is phenomenal, detailing all the internal struggles that Mike is going through. It is written in first person from Mike's perspective, so you know exactly what he is thinking at every moment. He is awkward and sometimes makes bad choices, but he learns from his mistakes.
At around 240 pages, this book is an easy read and a relatable one as well. It feels bigger and richer. I didn't want it to end. The conversations between the characters felt real and raw. There are deep themes in this book about what it means to be a human being, and how to develop empathy when you've never experienced it firsthand. In order to have friends, you need to be a friend first. I'm so grateful to have found this book and will be recommending it to all my reader friends!
Mike and his father have always had a strained relationship, but they tolerate each other while sharing the home together, although they spend most of the time apart in different parts of the house. Mike isn't sure that he wants more, but he is positive that this life isn't working for him.
He spends a lot of time on a hookup app, chatting with random guys around the world, but struggles to make a connection with any of them. A tryst with a younger guy named Josh goes awry when Josh's partner Gary shows up at Mike's house demanding that Josh come home with him. Mike and Josh only got together for the physical aspects of hooking up rather than any emotional connection. Mike starts to realize that maybe he does need more than just sex with another guy.
The problem for Mike is that he doesn't really know how to have a relationship with a man that goes beyond the physical. He grew up with a father who was always at work, and when he was home often expressed anger and rage toward Mike and his older sister as well as to their mom. This is really the only male-to-male relationship Mike has ever had, and it damaged him so much he doesn't really believe that it's possible.
But then Mike meets Dave in a parking lot, and there's a hint that sparks may fly. He also meets Matt, the brother of a women that Mike had done a handyman project for. Mike and Matt have a date that ends with them having sex at Matt's place. Mike isn't sure what his feelings are for Matt, and although he's curious about Dave, he isn't sure whether Dave is even gay or interested in him. But he wants to find out.
To avoid spoilers, I'll stop the synopsis here. I love a book where you can see and feel the growth of the main character, and this book is all about Mike's growth as a human and a man. Grossberg's prose is phenomenal, detailing all the internal struggles that Mike is going through. It is written in first person from Mike's perspective, so you know exactly what he is thinking at every moment. He is awkward and sometimes makes bad choices, but he learns from his mistakes.
At around 240 pages, this book is an easy read and a relatable one as well. It feels bigger and richer. I didn't want it to end. The conversations between the characters felt real and raw. There are deep themes in this book about what it means to be a human being, and how to develop empathy when you've never experienced it firsthand. In order to have friends, you need to be a friend first. I'm so grateful to have found this book and will be recommending it to all my reader friends!
November 20, 2024
The Spring Before Obergefel by Benjamin.S. Grossberg is a delightful story about middle-age Mike trying to find his way through dating apps only to meeting the two men that would change everything organically while also caring for his elderly father. From a serious health scare to his tentative dating life this made for such a great read. The book is set in 2015 I love the overall easy flow of the narrative Mike’s complicated relationship with his dad and his own self doubt about his mini part-time jobs and just as many lovers. This is a thoughtful story that I am so glad I got to read. I just want to add I could not at all after reading the book workout the title and then when I did I felt like a complete idiot!#NetGalley, #BenjaminSGrossberg, #TheSpringBeforeObergefel,
January 10, 2025
Strong narrative voice; a great example of a first person narrative that really works
Strong first person narrative voice. However, the narrator’s vision is a bit too narrow to the point where you start to feel a bit claustrophobic. Also, there is some really explicit sex, which seems orchestrated more for effect rather than a necessary element in the novel. Explicit sex really needs a raison d’etre. Otherwise it feels as though it’s done for shock value. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, when gay fiction needed to show the world the romance of sex and the erotic nature of love between men, these kinds of sex scenes were more vital. But we’ve moved on from then, and because gay sex has become so mainstream, there seems to be less need to put it front and center.
Strong first person narrative voice. However, the narrator’s vision is a bit too narrow to the point where you start to feel a bit claustrophobic. Also, there is some really explicit sex, which seems orchestrated more for effect rather than a necessary element in the novel. Explicit sex really needs a raison d’etre. Otherwise it feels as though it’s done for shock value. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, when gay fiction needed to show the world the romance of sex and the erotic nature of love between men, these kinds of sex scenes were more vital. But we’ve moved on from then, and because gay sex has become so mainstream, there seems to be less need to put it front and center.
August 14, 2024
Mike is a middle-aged gay man living in a small town in the Midwest. And just with that small bit of information, I had a connection to this story.
He’s spent his life avoiding relationships and just existed on hookups. But he’s realizing that there’s more to life that he wants. He wants someone to spend the rest of his life with. But that’s not easy to find, especially in a small town.
To make matters more interesting, Mike’s father lives with him. The two kinda mix like oil and water at times, but having each other is a good thing.
I really loved following Mike on his journey to find love, and the struggles when he found resistance from the man that has caught his eye.
As I enter my middle-age years, I find so many aspects of this book relatable. It was a wonderful read, that gives me hope for my own future relationships.
This is definitely one you should read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.
He’s spent his life avoiding relationships and just existed on hookups. But he’s realizing that there’s more to life that he wants. He wants someone to spend the rest of his life with. But that’s not easy to find, especially in a small town.
To make matters more interesting, Mike’s father lives with him. The two kinda mix like oil and water at times, but having each other is a good thing.
I really loved following Mike on his journey to find love, and the struggles when he found resistance from the man that has caught his eye.
As I enter my middle-age years, I find so many aspects of this book relatable. It was a wonderful read, that gives me hope for my own future relationships.
This is definitely one you should read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.
November 11, 2024
Maybe 4.5 stars. I found it refreshing to read a story about a middle-aged gay man (who is my age) who isn't rich, or in the closet, or hurting in some tragic way. Mike is a guy who works a few jobs to make ends meet, lives with his dad, and has kind of accepted that he's not meant to have a long term relationship and just enjoys the occasional hook-up. Then he meets a man who changes what he thought was possible for his future, and he struggles to allow himself to believe that he could be with this man. I would argue that the last third of the book drags a bit as Mike debates with himself how he should handle his situation. But it was one of the most realistic accounts of how a 50 year old man might approach the possibility of a long relationship.
Mike's father constantly reminds him that he was in a 58 year long marriage, which provides a stark contrast to Mike's life. Mike suggests that he has missed a real life -- the time from his 20s to his 50s -- just building the life he has now. That his life changes in the spring of 2015 -- the spring before Obergefell -- is symbolic. Just as he realizes that he can have a real relationship, millions of other men and women found themselves in a world they did not imagine was possible, where they could marry the person they loved. That spring was full of new possibilities for so many people.
Mike's father constantly reminds him that he was in a 58 year long marriage, which provides a stark contrast to Mike's life. Mike suggests that he has missed a real life -- the time from his 20s to his 50s -- just building the life he has now. That his life changes in the spring of 2015 -- the spring before Obergefell -- is symbolic. Just as he realizes that he can have a real relationship, millions of other men and women found themselves in a world they did not imagine was possible, where they could marry the person they loved. That spring was full of new possibilities for so many people.
November 10, 2024
So much of this novel feels relatable: I moved back to Ohio in my 50s and ended up living for a while in my mother's house, working at a Big Box store and trying to figure out the next chapter of my life while feeling that perhaps there would not be one, that the window of opportunity had closed for me. So I feel wells of empathy for the protagonist, Mike. I recognize the tiptoe-dance of living out while under the roof of an aging parent. Rural setting? Check. Addictive cruising apps? Check. But I envy Mike's ability to recognize and express (if only internally at times) his emotions, even if they are often ambivalent. Sometimes thinking too much about feeling inhibits action (in life, as well as in the novel).
Well-drawn characters. I especially like Beth, and Matteo is refreshing in his playfulness and directness--the kind of friend one should treasure. This novel pulled me along as it made its way and held my interest right to the end. I've long been a fan of Ben's poetry; now I am hoping he will write more fiction.
Well-drawn characters. I especially like Beth, and Matteo is refreshing in his playfulness and directness--the kind of friend one should treasure. This novel pulled me along as it made its way and held my interest right to the end. I've long been a fan of Ben's poetry; now I am hoping he will write more fiction.
October 29, 2024
This book deserves much more attention and praise than it has received thus far. I think the exploration of a queer story from a middle-aged protagonist is such an intriguing point of view that we don't get nearly enough of. The story had me wondering what stories we never had the chance to read since so many people the age of the protagonist were lost to the AIDS epidemic. Please take a chance to explore this novel if the premise intrigues you, it is worth the time.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 5, 2025
This book is so good, simple yet full of feeling. I opened it just-to-try and ended up reading 5 hrs on one workday (then worked until midnight).
I live in the north of Cincy, only 1 hr from Dayton where the MC lives. Lots of scenes felt super close to me. As a first-generation Asian immigrant in a Midwestern town, I totally get that sense of isolation and not really belonging. The loneliness and drifting vibe hit hard.
The last two chapters were a bit harder to read, maybe because the book is sooo immersive. In Mike’s "fearless action", I can feel his tension and anxiety myself. The ending cuts off suddenly but feels just right.
I live in the north of Cincy, only 1 hr from Dayton where the MC lives. Lots of scenes felt super close to me. As a first-generation Asian immigrant in a Midwestern town, I totally get that sense of isolation and not really belonging. The loneliness and drifting vibe hit hard.
The last two chapters were a bit harder to read, maybe because the book is sooo immersive. In Mike’s "fearless action", I can feel his tension and anxiety myself. The ending cuts off suddenly but feels just right.
April 19, 2025
Such a stunning book. About Mike Breck, a gay man in Dayton who has not been in a long-term relationship for many years. He meets Dave and he feels a connection he has not had for many years. Dave is afraid of being in a relationship and leaves. Mike wants to pursue it and finally overcomes his own problems with communication so that they can talk. The epilogue is lovely.
August 13, 2024
Getting real with oneself, getting real in the Midwest, getting real with family and with romance, especially later in life. Tough conversations happen in this story, and if they strike a reader as impossible, maybe they can serve as portals of possibility.
November 3, 2024
This was just wonderful. I read it quickly - an engaging cast of characters, simple unadorned language and a wish to see how the various relationships resolved made it a page turner. But I will revisit to savour the beautiful writing and its skill in developing its themes, especially that of the difficulties, dangers and rewards of honesty. And cos I loved the main character Mike.
December 12, 2024
Took me a while to like Mike, and, despite his neurotic tendencies, I ended up liking him a lot. Good to read about characters in mid-life making big decisions about their future.
July 30, 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 37TH Lambda Literary Awards for Gay Romance. Lambda Literary is celebrating outstanding LGBTQ+ voices in literature and storytelling in an increasingly vital fulfillment of the organization’s mission. {2025}'s ceremony will be held virtually on Saturday, October 4th as part of "Lammys Day" — an afternoon of virtual readings and panels featuring this year's finalists and special prize winners. Tickets go on sale August 4th.
Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: It’s not easy for anyone to find love, let alone a middle-aged gay man in small-town America. Mike Breck works multiple part-time jobs and bickers constantly with his father, an angry conservative who moved in after Mike’s mother died. When he’s not working or avoiding his father, Mike burns time on hookup apps, not looking for anything more. Then he meets a local guy, Dave, just as lonely as he is, and starts to think that maybe he doesn’t have to be alone. Mike falls hard, and in a moment of intimacy, his pent-up hopes for a relationship rush out, leading him to look more honestly at himself and his future.
Winner of the James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel, Ben Grossberg’s The Spring Before Obergefell is about real guys who have real problems, yet still manage to find connection. Funny, serious, meditative, and hopeful, The Spring Before Obergefell is a romance—but not a fairytale.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I so relate to Matteo, Mike's first RL shot at Love. Catalyzes something good and big; doesn't get to participate, too acerbic and just Too Much.
It's a curse, unless of course it's not. It felt very very good to read Dave and Mike's borning relationship.
A story set ten years ago about the challenges of forming relationships as gay men in homophobic Murrika. There has never been a moment where this subject, treated with hope, has been more welcome. We're now looking into the maw of Project 2025. *horripilation*
Nothing in this book leads me to believe the author was predicting the future as he wrote it. It's still a welcome moment of hope in a bleak landscape. Part of keeping hope alive is to feed it. The Spring Before Obergefell offers readers, gay men in particular, and older gay men for sure, a story that deals with the reality of family in this new age of darkness. There is always hope. It feels like there is not sometimes. Mike and his world...well...hope is what he found. That message trumps all the noise and chaos of the world.
Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: It’s not easy for anyone to find love, let alone a middle-aged gay man in small-town America. Mike Breck works multiple part-time jobs and bickers constantly with his father, an angry conservative who moved in after Mike’s mother died. When he’s not working or avoiding his father, Mike burns time on hookup apps, not looking for anything more. Then he meets a local guy, Dave, just as lonely as he is, and starts to think that maybe he doesn’t have to be alone. Mike falls hard, and in a moment of intimacy, his pent-up hopes for a relationship rush out, leading him to look more honestly at himself and his future.
Winner of the James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel, Ben Grossberg’s The Spring Before Obergefell is about real guys who have real problems, yet still manage to find connection. Funny, serious, meditative, and hopeful, The Spring Before Obergefell is a romance—but not a fairytale.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: I so relate to Matteo, Mike's first RL shot at Love. Catalyzes something good and big; doesn't get to participate, too acerbic and just Too Much.
It's a curse, unless of course it's not. It felt very very good to read Dave and Mike's borning relationship.
A story set ten years ago about the challenges of forming relationships as gay men in homophobic Murrika. There has never been a moment where this subject, treated with hope, has been more welcome. We're now looking into the maw of Project 2025. *horripilation*
Nothing in this book leads me to believe the author was predicting the future as he wrote it. It's still a welcome moment of hope in a bleak landscape. Part of keeping hope alive is to feed it. The Spring Before Obergefell offers readers, gay men in particular, and older gay men for sure, a story that deals with the reality of family in this new age of darkness. There is always hope. It feels like there is not sometimes. Mike and his world...well...hope is what he found. That message trumps all the noise and chaos of the world.
April 19, 2025
refreshing, quick read, steers clear of stereotypes about middle age, gay men, Midwest living, to leave a compelling picture of a version of American life that I would have trouble putting into words. Grossberg had no such trouble.
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