Hopelessly drawn to the romantic notion of a double life, young Michael Bellman spends summers in Monsalvat, Michigan, coming of age in a loving tangle of highly eccentric relatives: Great Uncle Jimmy speaks to his dead wife during meals; Cousin Anne torments Michael beyond endurance; reckless Cousin Tommy secretly smokes cigars and can't wait to "kick butt in 'Nam"—and Michael watches every magical move he makes.

A few years and one driver's license later, as family alliances change and long-silent desires surface, Michael begins to understand his attraction to the double life because he's living one—at roadside rest stops, in library washrooms, and public parks. Coming out is the first step, coming to terms is the next....

A highly praised debut novel in 1993, this edition includes a new foreword by the author.

"A simply told story of a young boy growing into manhood and evolving into himself in the midst of the contradictions, deceptions, denial, ignorance, pretensions, confusions, prejudices, and all the other weaknesses that flesh is heir to ... In one way or another this is the same world we must all find our way through and/or out of. I'm certain many other readers will enjoy this book as much as I did." – Hubert Selby, Jr.

"Bouldrey writes beautifully and casts an intense and relentless light on the ... grandeur of human love ... remarkable." – Robert Boswell

"An engaging novel with a narrator you may already know – he's catholic, he's whimsical, he's contemplative and amusing. He also happens to be gay." – Sandra Scoppettone

"Bouldrey is both a fine storyteller – attentive, compassionate, witty – and a highly intriguing stylist. In The Genius of Desire everything is in balance, no one is predictable, and Bouldrey's narrator is the perfect host. I was never less than enthralled." – Dennis Cooper

"The Genius of Desire touches on oddities in life with a warm sense of reality ... Bouldrey's style evokes a reverence for the small epiphanies of youth." – Bay Area Reporter

"A fresh and moving tale ... The author is particularly skilled at humor but handles the serious moments with wisdom and care ... An impressive debut." – Lambda Book Report