AN EVENING WITH BIRDY O'DAY

An aging man remembers the ups and downs of his childhood alongside a rock-star-to-be.

Roland Keener has lived in Winnipeg his whole life. Raised by his caring but direct single mother, Margaret, he was a lonely boy until he met Birdy O’Day, a magnetic classmate at a new school. Roland’s home became a safe haven for Birdy, who lived with his alcoholic mother and abusive father. When his own family failed to support his interest in pursuing a music career, it’s Roland and Margaret who had faith in Birdy’s talent. Soon opportunity came knocking, but when Birdy got his break, he left Roland behind. The former best friends’ lives took differing paths—Birdy became a megastar while Roland became a hairstylist who, at age 69 and living with his ailing boyfriend, struggles to make ends meet. And now, years after swearing he’d never return, Birdy is going to perform in Winnipeg, and perhaps heal the wounds between him and his former friend. Charting the lives of two queer boys in the 1960s, the novel is an interesting examination of the struggles and joys they faced, but the tone is sometimes bleak and the humor often doesn’t land. Readers with an interest in queer history may find this novel engaging, though the wooden dialogue is hard to get past.

An exploration of queer history through a less-common geographic lens.