Why I wrote Ockham's Razor
I'm no longer a practicing Mormon, but I recognize that the Church is a healthy place for many same-sex attracted people. As same-sex attracted Mormons negotiate with their feelings in more self-conscious ways -- remaining single, telling their mates about their attractions before marriage, and the less "Gospel-affirming" choices (which this book is about) -- they increasingly have shared tools: blogs, support organizations, novels. I wrote Ockham's Razor because I know there can be danger when one gets trapped in fixed meaning (I was stuck in it myself for some time). I thought an unconventional love story might help break down some of that fixedness.
I'm not sure Church leaders are equipped to provide the fluid meaning necessary for engaging with same-sex attraction because of how wrapped up Mormon doctrine is with heterosexuality. Same-sex intimacy (by which I mean love, sex, possibly raising children together) tends to be unapproachable. Narration is perhaps the best way to approach these themes.
The narrator Micah is of the viewpoint that the Church is wrong about everyone being essentially heterosexual. Brendan's viewpoint is still in formation, but he is cognizant of his attractions to the extent that Micah feels a relationship with him is possible...and desirable. =p Brendan is no pushover, though. Together, Micah and Brendan work out questions like: "Are we still Mormon?" and "Can we make this work?" They disagree on whether a middle ground exists -- whether one can truly be "gay and Mormon."
Why a cover with two young men in an embrace
"Well, the cover of your novel indicates that you have written something anti-Church," one might assert. Yet, the cover is really just the depiction of a moment in two young people's lives. It will scare off those who wouldn't read a rated-R novel ("R" for "realistic").
The story's themes
The story takes place in Tacoma, Washington (a mid-sized city south of Seattle).
I wanted to delve into the question of homosexuality as an addiction -- one, because I work in the world of chemical dependency, and two, because this metaphor is often used by those who feel "change" (or at least, abstinence) is best. A detox setting is partially used for this discussion. As well, by putting Micah and Brendan together, the whole story can be read as addressing who is guiltier of not letting himself make choices: choosing to be "gay" versus choosing to be "Mormon."
I also wanted to investigate the themes of race and class in today's Mormon context. In America, the right to "gay marriage" is sometimes related to "civil rights for racial minorities," and in the context of the Church (black priesthood not until 1978), questions of racism and heterosexism become sticky, intertwining topics. Micah is white and believes the 1978 revelation illustrates the bias of Church leadership, whereas Brendan is not white (and not black either) and doesn't consider the revelation to be important to his choices regarding sexuality.
There are other important themes, such as society's conflicting meanings of family and marriage.
The characters' worldviews are on the pages for entertainment, provocation and critique, not because I necessarily agree with any of them. As one reviewer has mentioned: I'm good at "just portraying the ambiguity and letting it be" rather than having a set agenda. Though I guess I should note that, yes, there are explicit scenes that might offend some readers, so one agenda item I do have is that I'm pro-sensuality (e.g., I'm a fan of Japanese yaoi).
If you have any questions about the book, feel free to contact me.
