"LOCAL DEITIES is, simultaneously, an enticing roman à clef, ...a gripping court-room drama and a direct engagement with the daily question of how to live a struggle in the belly of the beast." --The Nation

"Intelligently written, the novel raises issues of commitment, rebellion, and the conflict between individual and public values." --Booklist

"In memorable prose, Bushell depicts the uneasy alliance of women and men, the difficulty of maintaining zeal in the face of public indifference, the irrevocability of radical commitment, and, above all, the hurts parents do their children without intention. This is a book rich in character and incident, blessed with a noble theme." --Library Journal

Local Deities touched me deeply. I am about the same age as the children in the book, and the passages which describe the Bohemian left-wing life of the early 1970s evoke glimpses of my childhood--to the extent of conjuring even smells (e.g., baking bread and homemade yogurt) and sounds (e.g., listening from bed as adults arguing politics late into the night) from that period.

The book uses multiple perspectives to capture different conceptions and practices of left-wing idealism and gave me wonderful perspective on the political and personal choices that my parents and their friends have made. The characters are vividly drawn, and their dilemmas and internal conversations are poignant and seem real.

If you enjoyed E.L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel, T.C. Boyle's World's End, or John Sayle's Union Dues then you are very likely to enjoy Local Deities.

Local Deities is one of her best. Also look for her short story featuring a fictionalized version of gay porn legend John Preston, in the anthology Looking for Mr. Preston.

Very unusual book, cross genre. A story of the left but not propaganda. A story with gay men characters, but not pc. A political action/thriller but not cheap or silly. Sharp, economical prose. Engrossing, very real characters. Raises questions and issues about humanity, life, society, love, trust. Try it.

Unusual and fascinating

This thriller takes place in San Francisco in early 1993, a time when AIDS was rampant and uncontrolled. The enumerator of the title is Sean, a public health contractor who does door-to-door sex surveys of gay men as part of an effort to study sexual practices and the spread of AIDS. When a fellow enumerator is murdered, and his interview files go missing, it doesn't take long to figure out that someone had said something in their interview that needed to be covered up. Sean teams up with unemployed and spunky Alexandra (yes, romantic sparks fly) to uncover the mystery. Filled with Queer Nation activists, San Francisco neighborhoods and street life, threats of outing public figures, and Army of God militants, the story is a clever modern take on the thriller genre. Of course, Sean and Alex never get enough treatment to emerge as fully realized characters one cares about, nor does anyone else. It's a little too unlikely to be taken seriously, and the resolution is rather too neat-it's certainly not a noir-but it's not bad for what it is, and a good book to take on a trip to San Francisco.