As the fall brings cooler days, it is definitely a time to heat things up with a good book. So, I approached reading The VIPs like I approach any novel -- like I am going on a blind date. I have no expectations or preconceived notions except to enjoy the adventure. Although I knew about Scott Poulson-Bryant's prestigious writing background at Spin Magazine and as one of the co-founding editors of Vibe Magazine, I did not know how he would transfer his skills as a journalist into writing fiction. All I can say is that he made a smooth transition into the realm of fiction authorship. He had me at chapter one of The VIPs.
In The VIPs, we meet a group of four successful men, childhood friends who called themselves "the VIPs," on a steamy June 2007 afternoon in New York City. The mega-star rapper TNT gathers the VIPs together for a meeting that causes them to reflect on their friendship as youths as well as the big dreams they once had. Leo Bradford is a gay publishing magnate who is learning to love again after a devastating tragedy. Barry Chambers is a playboy attorney with a working-class background who is starting to realize that the chip he has been carrying on his shoulders and the weight of his inflated ego are beginning to wear him down. Joey Ramirez is an über successful designer who overcame a life of exploitation and neglect to become one of the most successful clothiers in the world. Duke Maynard is a retired NFL star facing the challenges of planning the next chapters of his successful life story. These four men have a history and bond that could be torn apart by TNT, who asks them the bombshell question: "Which one of you bastards is my father?"
The plot keeps the reader completely entertained by weaving details of the past with matters of the present. It is interesting to discover how characters evolve and how bad as well as good choices lead to unexpected results. Secrets cause relationships to unravel. Broken hearts get mended then broken again. Families are divided and accusations fly. Without revealing too much, bullets pierce the intended target and an explosion rocks more than just one character to his core. Poulson-Bryant is so effective at making the characters and their circumstances so interesting that you might be tempted to skip ahead in excitement to find out their fates. Even if one surrenders to such temptation, you will find an unexpected twist that will completely send you back to the pages you skipped.
Poulson-Bryant presents characters that are rich in color as well as complexity. In a time when many writers still feel compelled to create male and female characters of color as stereotypes and caricatures, Poulson-Bryant sets himself apart as a non-conformist. The male characters run the gamut in terms of examples of masculinity and sexuality. Poulson-Bryant offers through his characters a sociological examination of the male dynamic in friendship as well as love. A subtext of how male identity changed over the course of three generations adds value by elevating The VIPs to a novel worthy of inclusion in a gender studies course syllabus. All of them sort through trials and tribulations while living hard and loving (or avoiding love) with even greater intensity. Socio-economic and cultural lines are crossed as well as blurred when African-American, white, and Latino characters interact in a social milieu where privilege and power are primarily held by strong men of color. These characters, situations, and themes may seem foreign to a person who elects to live a homogenous or homophobic existence but they are very real to any person who lives in a diverse, cosmopolitan world.
Not to be left out, female characters are neither outright divas nor docile creatures. The ladies in The VIPs assist in moving the story forward in ways that range from sheer desperation to misguided love. In some ways, the female characters either have the ability to help a male character reach his potential or throw his life into utter chaos.
The VIPs is definitely full of surprises and some hints of 1980s' sentimentality. But do not expect the author's fondness for revisiting Gen-X teen years to be smaltzy. Poulson-Bryant keeps it real with issues of interracial love, sexual awakening, and transitioning from boyhood to manhood.
Readers in their early twenties through late forties will be entertained by Poulson-Bryants's interweaving of secrets, lies, videotape, and villainy. Just keep in mind that The VIPs can be enjoyed by men as well as the ladies. For readers looking for an alternative from the array of street lit tales or the whiny woes of middle class malaise in mainstream fiction, The VIPs will give you the VIP treatment for your reading pleasure.
Scott Poulson-Bryant is currently pursuing his doctoral degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He confirmed that a sequel to The VIPs is on the horizon. In the meantime, you can follow Scott Poulson-Bryant on Twitter at @SPBVIP, or at www.scottpoulsonbryant.com and www.spbvip.wordpress.com.