Indivisible: New Short Fiction by West Coast Gay and Lesbian Writers

Calling this the first anthology to include literary fiction by both lesbian and gay writers, Wolverton, a writer, and Drake, a literary agent, say they hope the book will assert ``a sensibility of `one people, one volume.' '' Only Robin Podolsky's horrific ``Dignity/Uniforms/Dignity,'' however, overtly unites both groups, in a violent confrontation with homophobia. AIDS hangs like a smothering fog over several stories, yet characters manage big gulps of life and even laughter. In ``Negatives from Mr. Tobias's Vacation,'' David Vernon observes a gay man's love life from the perspective of his motherly, prying secretary. Stealthily reading ``sorry I lied to you about HIV'' in a discarded letter from her boss's lover, she concludes, ``Jacques had had an affair with some man named HIV. . . . It felt like such a slap in the face to us.'' This is an uneven collection; several stories are awkwardly crafted and others are bare sketches. The best, while written from a strongly gay or lesbian orientation, often touch on universal themes: ``Baby,'' by Jacqueline De Angelis, describes a woman's fears of abandonment when her lover starts hatching plans for motherhood. (Sept.)