Raising a Glass to Lev A.C. Rosen - by Matthew Greene

Shine a light on another writer. Who's a writer—past or present—you believe deserves more attention? What makes their work meaningful to you, and how has it influenced your own?

When I first heard about The Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen, it sounded like it had been grown in a lab specifically for me. Mid-century noir and fabulous matriarchs and queer history and a San Francisco setting? I was sold. 

But I didn’t expect how hard the story would hit me from word one. From the moment I met the tormented protagonist coming to painful terms with his queerness, I recognized myself on the page. It was the type of literary alchemy that reminds us why we read fiction in the first place. Sure, I’m not a private eye, a disgraced former cop, or a former military man. But the humanity of Evander Mills shook loose something deep within me. I recognized his suffering, his redemption, his joy at the prospect of found family. And when I read the following passage, I felt like someone had finally put into words what I’d struggled to articulate for years:

People are always trying to claim you, without ever listening to who you are. They want you to be something else, to be the role they have for you in the family. But really, we’re all better off just making our own.

And this book is chock-full of gems like that. It explores the gay experience in 1950s America in a way that feels authentic and unflinching…but not devoid of hope. It presents its queer characters without apology, without sanding down their edges. (Most of them are suspects in a murder, after all.) And it gives us in Andy a P.I. unlike any I’d ever read.

And, of course, it contains a kick-ass mystery that kept me guessing until the end. As did the follow-up The Bell in the Fog and my personal favorite Rough Pages. (Are you as troubled as I am by recent book banning efforts? That last one is a hell of a cathartic read.) All three Evander Mills mysteries have been a highlight of my reading year and a frequent recommendation to anyone who will listen. I have no doubt that the forthcoming Mirage City will scratch that same itch and become a favorite as soon as my pre-order comes in.

Beyond this series, Rosen’s work spans genres and audiences and foregrounds LGBTQIA+ stories in a way I clearly admire. But foremost among the praise I could heap on him is my belief that he’s a great storyteller. No matter who picks up one of these books, I have no doubt they’ll be taken in and taken for a ride.