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In detailing Nick Broome’s intense obsession to donate his sperm for the preservation of his family line, Louis Bayard’s comedic novel Endangered Species exposes how problematic this is for the gay man. (Whether this is a knotty concern for a large number of gay men is a matter of debate.)
Nick chooses “Reproductive Resource”, which has rigorous standards for sperm donors. Unfortunately, Nick’s sperm is regarded as not sufficiently “motile”; 50% of his sperm are not swimming. Undaunted, Nick runs a “personals” ad. By now, he is more ambitious and precise. He wants a joint parenting arrangement including custody sharing in the rearing of the child. His ad, in the “None of the Above” section, elicits responses from slaves, dominatirixes, masseurs, plain old prostitutes and an assortment of “heavy breathers”. Out of these irregular respondents, a more likely prospect is Nattie, a gamin-like Holly GoLightlly type who, despite tales of her neurotic parents, endears herself to Nick. Anon Nattie is positioned upside down to receive Nick’s platonic donation from a wine glass. All for naught; Nattie has never recovered from a cervical infection and has been unable to face the reality of her sterility. In fact, Nattie is vincible in the face of “nuda veritas", and she ends up in a mental hospital. One fortunate side benefit of the Nattie episode is the meeting of Nick and Nat’s gorgeous hunk brother Joe, who audaciously ends Nick’s term of protracted gay celibacy. Bayard deserves credit for creating characters who are believable, endearing and speak in their own individual voice. The hapless Nick and the brash and unpredictable Joe make a couple whose encounters and adventures would warrant a sequel. Perhaps the scenario of a questing sperm donor, which runs out of gas three quarters of the way into the book would best be abandoned in the next opus. RECOMMENDED READING: Endangered Species a novel by Louis Bayard, Alyson Books, New York and Los Angeles, 2001, ISBN 1-55583-641-0 Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article Endangered Species in Gay Fiction is owned by Dennis Cox. Permission to republish Endangered Species in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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