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Before the onset of his irreversible decline, Eddie Socket always suspected he was on the verge of something. Now that �something� has arrived in the form of Merrit Mather, an attractive older gentleman of impeccable taste in everything from sweaters to his numerous sexual conquests. That Merrit happens to be the lover of Eddie�s agitated boss, Saul, hardly fazes the smitten Eddie; that the elusive Merrit loses interest in Eddie with dizzying speed hardly dims his ardor. While Eddie continues his futile chase, he finds solace in his roommate, Polly, involved in her own implausible affair with a self-involved banker. Both Eddie and Polly eventually conclude that solitude is their best option. But even that is not possible as Eddie finds his life taking an unexpected turn�a turn that that serves as the catalyst for Eddie, love-ravaged Polly, and the indomitable Saul to reclaim their lives.First published in 1989 and winner of the 1990 Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Debut Novel, The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket is one of the first novels to respond to the global AIDS crisis. A comedy of absurdist horror, it weaponizes the comic as a way of intensifying the tragic aspects of AIDS, which were especially acute in the early 1980s, and the scars of which are still visible today.… (more)
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It's one of my faves and i recommend it extremely highly.
That doesn't stop Eddie from trying everything he can to get Merrit to at least talk to him, and while waiting for that moment when he can discover what's going through Merrit's mind, Eddie commiserates with his roommate Polly Plug. Polly, though, has struggles of her own: trying to keep up with the rent while struggling as an actress. She also finds what she at first believes to be love. That romance soon turns cold, just like Eddie's.
During his struggle to find some common ground with Merrit, Eddie gets the news that he's has AIDS. He tries to tell those close to him -- his mother, Polly, even Merrit -- but winds up holding back, instead deciding a trip from New York to California to learn about his mother and his family. During the trip he meets Eulene, a drag queen from Staten Island, who helps him to realize that he can't run away from Merrit, from Polly, from his life and returns to New York.
Eddie's health quickly begins to decline, forcing Polly and Saul to re-examine their own lives and to finally take control.
For me, "The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket" offers a different take on someone with AIDS. Eddie doesn't seem to think of it as a death sentence; rather, for him it seems to be just one more obstacle to his potential (and self-delusional) happiness with Merrit. When his death happens (not a spoiler, judging by the book's title), it's almost poetic and reaching Eddie's romantic views of Hollywood. I actually cried while reading it, not because he passed, but because it was so well written and beautiful. His death becomes the spark to get Polly and Saul moving so it becomes almost a positive event.
It's a wonderful read, peopled with funny and very human characters. Take a chance like I did and read this great book.