Stray City: A Novel

I bought this book shortly after reading a review in the NYT in 2018. It sat on my desk for a long time, competing with the historical fiction and spy novels that usually pull me in. Finally got to reading it this summer, and loved it. The writing style, a truly empathetic hero, a glimpse into a world that is very different from mine with its own challenges and its similarities. I’ve recommended it to a number of people and every one of them has loved it as well. Even my wife, who routinely ignores my literary recs.

I was pulled right in to Andrea Morales's Lesbian Mafia life in Portland, Oregon in the 1990's. Johnson artfully uses the first person to describe Andrea's point of view after "escaping" from Nebraska. So many passages are captivating and funny and surprising. For example: "Meena had intel that the coffee girl was straight--one of those girls who affects android queer chic and looks heartbreakingly good in it but actually only dates men. We resented this kind of girl." Andrea's life was so different from mine I wanted to read the novel straight through--except for one big thing: One of the biggest surprises of the novel is disclosed right in the book summary on Amazon. Usually, a book summary doesn't give away more than what's in about the first 20% of the book. Not so with Stray City. The big surprise doesn't happen until almost 50% of the way through the novel. It was horrible reading the first half of the novel knowing what was going to happen to Andrea. Goodbye tension. I have no idea why the publishers decided to give that part of the novel away. Secondly, after the big secret that was spoiled by the summary, there is a huge jolt in the writing. The time period jumps forward nearly 11 years. There is no warning and it's not a graceful entrance into this time capsule. As a reader, we're flung into the future with no explanation of what happened in the meantime. It didn't work for me. I went ahead and gave the book 4 stars because the writing was so good, and Andrea…

I really was wanting to love this book. In fact, I thought I would during the first part of it. Spoiler Alert—however, after Andy had the baby, all the 90’s Portland grunge charm was gone (which is what I was wanting to reconnect with in this book). Andy and Ryan living together just seemed too convenient and not realistic regarding how a lesbian would just accept a heterosexual man into her life as a replacement

Grabs you by the shirt and pulls you headlong into a lively, marginalized community of women in Portland in the 1970's. This is a nostalgic love letter to that city in its gritty period - and also to the mysterious loves that a young woman can have - different, yet in the same body. There's lots of gentle mockery of the ironically bigoted "Lesbian Mafia,", and the constant migrations between and among young women finding and stabilizing their identities. And there's a special nativity portrait - I won't spoil it for you. The pace is brisk - you need to keep up! Lovely story - lovely perspectives, too. Worth more than a single read!

I had a hard time putting this book down. The writing was a joy to read, every emotion was felt. It is a privilege to share in Andy's life and those around her. I was drawn in and learned more than I thought I would. Life is so full of twists and turns, thank you Chelsey for your story to open hearts and find joy where ever we are.