Nelson Kunker is at a crossroads in life: single at thirty-four, he has to decide whether he is really talented or just gay. Working as the script coordinator at a late-night sketch television show and intermittently on his novel, Nelson meets two men who change his prospects in this witty, romantic but masculine story of art and gay love. In the same week, Nelson encounters Roy, a part-time salmon fisherman and archaeology student with soul mate potential when they bond over an obscure reference and Dylan, a muscled heartthrob guest appearing on the show after a stint in prison for drugs, trying to make a comeback. These three men are surrounded by wonderfully colorful (and gay) characters both in Los Angeles and in Alaska, where Roy has invited Nelson for the summer and Dylan goes to get in character for his comeback salmon-fisherman movie. Coffee Point, Alaska is an austere but beautiful setting where the men, like the salmon they catch, are insanely driven to sacrifice all in the quest to find love. The plot's improbabilities and Nelson's immaturity are balanced by intelligent and witty observations and likeable characters. Selfish and Perverse made me want to visit Alaska again.

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