'A Density of Souls' measures on the Kinsey scale

SHEREE CALLAHAN
DM Senior Staff Writer

Christopher Rice, 21, begins his first novel with an ABC After-School Special flavor, describing four 12-year-old kids out for a bike ride on a summer afternoon.

But it loses that feel quickly. In those oh-so-wholesome After School Specials, they never described or mentioned homosexual male sexual encounters, which was probably a good thing. I don't image enjoying my cookies and milk while watching such scenes.

Each of the five teen-age characters in Rice's book could be their own special. Consider some of the beginning plot: Meredith Ducote deals with the pressures of popularity, a broken home and frequent physical abuse from her boyfriend between periodic bathroom vomiting sessions and heavy drinking bouts with a bottle of Stoli from her mother's liquor cabinet every week.

Frail Stephen Conlon, the novel's gay protagonist, must deal with the homophobic violence thrust his way by his former best friends, Greg Darby and Brandon Charbonnet.

Rice, who is openly gay, seems to have followed the "autobiographical element formula" in which the author projects his own qualities and experiences onto his main character for an attempt at catharsis.

Just like his famous mother Anne Rice, he is also able to set a tone of evil and suspense in ordinary events, which helps you overlook the venting of bad teen-age experiences.

Even with the facade of normal high school issues and their rich arrogance of growing up in the Garden District of New Orleans, you know that characters Greg and Brandon have a perversion inside them that transcends normal teen-age rage. You get clues that it stems as far back as their childhood with their two other friends, Stephen and Meredith.

The climax of the book occurs the night sophomore Greg replaces the regular quarterback in the big game against Thibodaux High School. On the way to the big event, Greg's father carelessly causes his seven-year-old son Andrew's death. The tragedy of the event sends Ma Darby to the loony-bin and Greg looking for sadistic love with Stephen in the bell tower at the Episcopal church behind their houses.

The next morning, Greg is found dead and Stephen is unconscious, naked with the Episcopal flag draped around his bruised body. Brandon is supposedly shipped off to military school to assuage his violent tendencies.

Four years later, Jordon Charbonnet, Brandon's brother, returns to New Orleans after being away at college to find out his brother's whereabouts and understand the events of the night at the bell tower.

The burdens of wealth and an old family name theme made me think that Rice was trying too hard to fit into the whole Southern genre. The dialogue between characters was also lacking realistic qualities at times.

Rice should commended though, for his story-telling ability that keeps you in suspense throughout the novel until the dramatic conclusion.