- Piety,
- compassion,
- lust,
- love…
- Feelings
- all
- the
- more
- potent
- when
- you
- are
- a
- Catholic
- priest
- confined
- to
- your
- hospital
- bed
- by
- an
- AIDS
- diagnosis,
- being
- comforted
- by
- the
- seminarian
- you
- sexually
- abused
- as
- an
- adolescent.
- It's
- Holy
- Week
- 1987.
- The
- priest
- is
- Fr.
- Linus
- Fitzgerald,
- the
- young
- seminarian
- is
- Orlando
- Rosario.
- Both
- are
- shocked
- and
- shaken
- as
- they
- reflect
- on
- their
- desires
- and
- dreams,
- secrets
- and
- sins,
- hopes
- and
- faith,
- and
- the
- paths
- that
- brought
- them
- together.
- In
- Homo
- Novus,
- Gerard
- Cabrera
- illuminates
- with
- deep
- empathy
- and
- stark
- emotional
- honesty
- the
- journey
- these
- two
- men
- take
- separately
- and
- together
- —
- a
- journey
- that
- began
- with
- a
- violation
- of
- trust
- and
- leads
- them
- to
- places
- –
- sacred
- and
- profane
- —
- that
- they
- never
- imagined.Praise
- for
- Gerard
- Cabrera
- and
- Homo
- Novus"Gerard
- Cabrera's
- eloquent
- and
- challenging
- novel
- Homo
- Novus
- takes
- a
- hot
- issue
- and
- gives
- it
- a
- complex
- and
- nuanced
- exploration
- that
- will
- encourage
- even
- greater
- discussion."
- -Charles
- Busch,
- Actor/Playwright,
- author
- of
- The
- Tale
- of
- the
- Allergist's
- Wife
- and
- The
- Divine
- Sister"Sex,
- grace,
- power,
- and
- commitment
- drive
- this
- powerful
- narrative
- to
- its
- shattering
- conclusion
- of
- personal
- transfigurations
- and
- fearful
- redemptions.
- In
- Homo
- Novus,
- Gerard
- Cabrera's
- lucid
- and
- startling
- prose
- pierces
- the
- heart,
- making
- us
- rethink
- our
- deeply
- held
- beliefs
- about
- faith,
- love,
- courage,
- and
- betrayal.
- The
- journeys
- that
- Orlando
- and
- Linus
- take-with
- one
- another,
- away
- from
- one
- another,
- and
- to
- new
- understandings
- –
- are
- specific
- to
- their
- lives,
- and
- always
- frighteningly
- relevant
- to
- ours.
- Homo
- Novus
- is
- a
- masterful,
- powerful
- work-the
- perfect
- balancing
- of
- the
- profane
- and
- sacred
- that
- strikes
- at
- the
- heart
- of
- what
- it
- is
- to
- be
- human."
- -Michael
- Bronski,
- Lambda
- Literary
- Award-winning
- author
- of
- A
- Queer
- History
- of
- the
- United
- States"Cabrera's
- Homo
- Novus
- wrestles
- with
- the
- desire
- of
- forbidden
- love.
- As
- the
- AIDS
- crisis
- begins
- to
- surface,
- the
- characters
- in
- this
- novel
- find
- themselves
- entangled
- within
- the
- undistinguished
- extremities
- of
- a
- religious
- vocation,
- vacillating
- between
- secrets
- and
- their
- own
- identities.
- In
- lyrical
- and
- often
- heartbreaking
- prose,
- Cabrera
- weaves
- a
- story
- that
- illuminates
- the
- unanswered
- questions
- surrounding
- morality,
- faith,
- lust
- and
- love,
- and
- what
- it
- means
- to
- forgive
- in
- the
- face
- of
- loss."
- -Mario
- Alberto
- Zambrano,
- Dancer,
- Choreographer,
- and
- Author
- of
- the
- Acclaimed
- Novel
- Lotería"[Homo
- Novus]
- A
- potent,
- pensive
- and
- poignant
- novel
- in
- which
- gay
- priests
- delve
- into
- themselves
- as
- they
- navigate
- lust,
- love,
- theology,
- and
- the
- human
- condition.
- Filled
- with
- strong
- imagery,
- and
- dialogue
- as
- biting
- as
- a
- bitch-slap,
- follow
- along
- as
- their
- pasts
- destroy
- their
- present
- lives
- and
- threaten
- their
- futures,
- in
- a
- time
- where
- the
- specter
- of
- AIDS
- draws
- the
- last
- card.
- Cabrera
- creates
- sexy,
- complex
- characters
- who
- lure
- you
- into
- the
- inner
- recesses
- of
- their
- psyches
- and
- libidos
- so
- that
- you
- end
- up
- incriminated
- through
- your
- own
- voyeurism.
- But
- don't
- shut
- your
- eyes
- because
- you're
- in
- for
- a
- wild
- ride
- with
- these
- men
- of
- the
- cloth
- who
- disrobe
- way
- more
- than
- just
- their
- bodies."
- -Charles
- Rice
- González,
- author
- of
- Chulito"Capturing
- the
- patriarchal
- seduction
- of
- religion,
- this
- novel
- is
- an
- essential
- contribution
- to
- our
- queer
- Latinx
- literary
- tradition."
- -Emanuel
- Xavier,
- Author
- of
- Christ
- Like,
- and
- Selected
- Poems
- of
- Emanuel Xavier
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