Some Family Matters

It is 1974 and a Labour government has been elected in the UK, barely. Voters have mumbled more than spoken, too quietly to stave off attacks on the post-war welfare state. Neil, shaped by his lonely childhood in the Fens, an area of muddy and bleak beauty, begins the hunt for a family to replace the one that never worked for him. He co-opts Lily as his guide and mentor as he enters a world of self-righteous young Brits, smug in their understanding that the world is moving towards social justice and that gay is good. He maneuvers his friends into thinking of themselves as the Goldhawks, a family of choice.

This story tracks this chosen family as they navigate the London of the 1970s and 80s. Gay men have never had it so good – lots of sex and lots of satisfying outrage at the politicians of the day. Racial prejudice remains rampant but has become more subtle and food has become more processed. There is a good, inflation-adjusted, living to be made in the caring professions. In this era, virtue is rewarded as well as signaled.

The mobility and the rapid pace of social change are exhilarating but unsettling. This generation is embarrassed to admit it, but nostalgia is in the air, for the faith and the places of childhood.

It turns out that navigating interracial love, bereavement and sharing the care of other people’s kids takes rather more than glib confidence. AIDS removes the comforting illusion that this generation has discovered a new way of building lasting kinship. With humor, Neil learns how fear, love and self-interest continue to play their parts in friendships. But has he learned enough?