Based on my uproarious & eye-opening life as a gay escort.
Discover "Rent Boy": A Memoir of Love and Survival
In a world veiled by neon lights and secrets, Vixen navigates the perilous line between love and survival. As an escort entrapped by a relentless past, he owes a dangerous debt to an ex-lover turned ruthless pimp. But his life takes an unforeseen turn when he finds himself ensnared in a forbidden love affair with a client, Quinn. As tensions rise and debts come due, Vixen faces a harrowing choice: continue to be a puppet in a soul-crushing game or risk it all for a chance at genuine love.
"Rent Boy" is a raw, gripping journey into the labyrinth of a love that was never supposed to happen. It delves into the complex psyche of Vixen—a man forever poised between chaos and desire, freedom and obligation. Through twists of fate and choices made in moments of vulnerability, he teeters on the edge of salvation and ruin. And when you're dancing on the edge of life and death, every step you take is a leap of faith. Will Vixen find his way, or will he plunge into an abyss from which there's no return? Welcome to a world where love is the most dangerous game of all.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: In this memoir, Vixen, a former sex worker, takes the reader through "a world veiled by neon lights and secrets," detailing his desperation as his reality gets ever more perilous, and not just for him.
Prose: Vixen's prose is often impactful, clever, and vivid. In some portions of the text, however, the language can become overblown, distracting from the otherwise powerful narrative.
Originality: Part memoir, part cautionary tale, Vixen takes the reader into a world few people understand. Moments of humor provide levity while in no way diminishing the serious nature of the author's story.
Character/Execution: Vixen fearlessly chronicles every aspect of his life, the grimy and the shiny, and doesn't spare himself when acknowledging his mistakes. While there's no traditional 'happy ending," he makes clear his determination to live life on his own terms.
Date Submitted: January 18, 2024
Vixen works as an escort with a clientele in which we find the good, but also the worst of what society can produce. Between an ex, who acts as a pimp and to whom he owes a large sum of money, and his heart which harbors forbidden feelings for a client, he faces heartbreaking choices.
The world of prostitution is often portrayed to us through the distorting or magnified prism of romantic clichés from popular culture: it is therefore difficult to distinguish between authenticity and fabrications. What distinguishes this novel from a plethora of other stories is that its author, who has the same name as his character, emphasizes having been inspired by his personal experience. Indeed, Vixen (Joshua Maheu) is a French-Canadian author/screenwriter/director who has already worked as a gay escort, which allows him to bring a very interior look to the plot of this first novel.
The novel thus reveals itself to be a real literary punch which stands out by skilfully marrying an improbable alloy between raw realities and lyricism. “Bambi’s apartment complex was a fossil, the hallway an archeological dig into the malaise of mid-century décor. Peeling wallpaper hung from the walls like the fading dreams of a vintage starlet, the floorboards squealing beneath our boots as if they were the chorus of a grunge track. It was as if the place was rebelling against the very concept of walking…”
Despite the violence and misery that punctuate his journey, Vixen's story is always punctuated with surprising touches of humor and cynicism, revealing the resilience he always demonstrates in the face of adversity. The poetic look he has on the banality of places or daily violence undoubtedly testifies to the relentlessness with which he searches for beauty even in the heart of misery.
An astonishing first work which wins the improbable and difficult challenge of navigating between human decline, humor and poetry! Note that the author has a project to adapt his novel for the cinema.
INFO | Rent Boy / Vixen. Burnaby, BC: Erethereal, 2023, 323 p.
