Maybe This Time

At a gay bar in Wilmington, Del., where bathroom hookups are the norm, Donner, “the trailer park trash son of a drunk,” meets Ezra, the rejected, drifting son of rich parents. Donner enjoys dumpster diving and feeding the homeless, while Ezra is terrified of losing control, addicted to and shamed by his countless easy conquests. The only obvious thing they have in common is two years of walling others out after earlier relationships left them broken. With fluid prose, Arthur (No Such Thing) washes the grit off these two rough characters as they gradually show each other their pain, zest, and hope. Their connection is made through a believable blend of happenstance and discovery, couched in a plot that never gets too complicated or strains for novelty. (July)