Finalist in Fiction,
2004 Pen Center USA
Christopher by Allison Burnett

Excerpt: Christopher - "January"
Lodestar Quarterly

Set in New York City in 1984, Christopher is the story of a young idealist groping for happiness after a painful divorce. The tale is told by his tenement neighbor B.K. Troop -- an erudite, witty, bipolar, alcoholic, middle-aged predatory homosexual who is obsessed with him. Employing the "first-person virtually omniscient" voice, B.K. narrates the story of the young man's painful year, during which he joins the Gary Hart campaign, signs up for a New Age workshop, falls in love with an underage fatherless girl, and wrestles with a novel -- all the while struggling to free himself from his insane psychiatrist mother.

But B.K. has troubles of his own, because, as the months pass, his thwarted lust for Christopher turns into thwarted love. In the end, his young neighbor embarks on the journey B.K. has been avoiding -- the journey inward.

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Reviews

"B.K. Troop is that rarest find: an unexpected and entirely engaging new character. It is B.K.'s voice — his allusions, fulminations, deprecations, and ultimately his hapless, hopeless romanticism — that makes this fine first novel such an enjoyable romp." -- Seduced by a Literary Original by Robin Russin, Los Angeles Times

"At times both acid-tinged and unbelievably sweet, a hopeless love's lament." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Burnett captures perfectly both the mid-1980's setting and the feelings of both the lovable, predatory narrator and his elusive quarry. B.K. is both hilariously outlandish and utterly touching." -- Booklist, the American Library Association magazine

"There are some moments of wonder and examples of delightfully lucid prose.... Burnett does a fantastic job of establishing a unique narrative voice..." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Though not without its poignant, yearningly romantic moments, Christopher never comes close to sappy and for that there's the acerbic Troop to thank. With his sharp-as-a-tack voice he leads the book into the realms of 1980s political cynicism, brainwashing cults, dysfunctional families and failed relationships on the way to its wistfully sweet conclusion." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Christopher is a rare find—a clever, engaging book that can make you laugh out loud, but also pulls at your heartstrings. Burnett at times seems to be channeling the spirit of Oscar Wilde." -- Josh Aterovis, Black Sheep Productions

“The author here has hit the nail right on the head. BK's wit is what makes this book." -- Vanessa’s OUTlook

"An unusual, touching, and often hilarious tale of friendship and love. Everyone is so genuinely odd in this book, it works."
-- The Gay City News

"You'll find yourself cracking up and thanking higher powers that you aren't this much of a flaming queen!" -- Instinct Magazine

"We’ve seen clever outcasts in fiction before, but they’re seldom as amusing as B.K. Troop. A delightful debut novel." -- The Advocate, "Great Summer Reading"

"A genuinely touching and unexpected love story." -- The Hollywood Reporter

"The smart, playful, tongue-in-cheek tale of a gay man's attempts to draw a straight man into the gay world. Great voice." -- Editing International

"Warmer and more humane than Nabokov, less moribund and abstract than Thomas Mann, Allison Burnett writes an unconventional love story that invites the reader to accompany his mortified protagonist along the road to a belated maturity." -- The Tattered Cover

"Through his flamboyant character of Troop, Burnett offers one page after another of witty, outrageous, raunchy, insightful, tender and romantic prose."-- Chicago Free Press

"Christopher: A Tale of Seduction (or not) is an outstanding debut novel filled with hysterical moments, reflection, and the most lucid of commentary - courtesy of the sensationally caustic narrative of Mr B K Troop. It is full of honesty and self-deception, love and want.... A novel such as this, which entertains as it informs, is the best kind of all."-- thegayread.com

"I've always thought Sancho [Panza] deserved his own fable, and this one is true and witty and unsparing and very wise." -- The Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society