“The West Hollywood Story”–great characters, storyline

Paris, Mickel Angelo. “The West Hollywood Story”,

iUniverse, 2006.

Great Characters, Storyline

Amos Lassen

I am always a bit apprehensive about reviewing self published books but of late I have been pleasantly surprised. I am so glad that Mickel Paris sent me a copy of “The West Hollywood Story” which he wrote. It has a great cast of characters, a great storyline and was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads I have had. Eloquently written with just the right amount of information on the broad group of characters who are in the story, I found myself wanting to stop whatever else I had to do and keep reading. It is a melodrama and almost reaches epic proportions with the number of ideas with which it deals.

Patrick a metrosexual dies by his own hand and his two roommates Seven and Luna mourn his death. Lonely, they take in a new roommate named Aaron and show him the gay life of Hollywood but Seven cannot give to Aaron what he wants most–love.

The search for identity and meaning in this world along with the quest for love is what this book is about. With the help of a psychic named Emma who warns them of the road upon which they are going to travel, we set off on a tour of the gay ghetto and become privy to all that happens there. Sometimes hard to read, because it is so honest, we escort our characters on the road to discovery when suddenly we realize that we are also learning about ourselves. The twists and turns that Seven and Aaron encounter mirror the twists and turns of our lives. The circumstances may be different, the tines may not be the same, but the quest for who we are and what is out purpose is universal. Mickel has done an admiral job in telling the story and I applaud him for it and hope to see more from him.

The book is conveniently divided into short chapters which gives one time to identify with the plot. I found myself contemplating myself as I read and I felt so much better for having opened the book. I think you will as well.