His Father’s Advice by Don Schecter is not so much a short story as a conversation on human sexuality between a father and his son. Sam Conner, a star athlete and budding young artist has a sexual identity crisis and takes his questions to his gay father, Jerry Conner.
The short story focuses mainly on how Jerry reacts to his son’s dilemma. The language Schecter uses is poignant and heart-felt, but it can also be somewhat preachy. Schecter writes His Father’s Advice with much care and concern for the topic. It’s clear from the outset that he has no opposition to being gay, or straight, or bisexual. Schecter presents an argument for honest sexuality without resorting to labeling.
The sex scenes in His Father’s Advice are minimal. The passion of the short-short story is in defense of allowing individuals to make sexual choices guided by their hearts and bodies, not the strictures of society. Despite its brevity, His Father’s Advice is nice piece of writing on a sensitive topic.
Stars: [rating=4]
Review originally appeared on QMO Books
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing