The Gay Haunt (1970 original; edició 2007)

At the beginning of "The Gay Haunt", formerly gay Paul is having a dinner party for his new fiancée Margo, his boss' daughter when a strangely familiar appears out of nowhere. A strangely naked man, too, however no one but Paul seems to notice him. Trying to regain his composure, Paul excuses himself from the party and hides away in his bedroom, locking the door behind him, stretching out on the bed and closing his eyes. Only then does he recognize the naked man: his former lover Lorin. But that would be impossible because Lorin passed away a few years ago. Even more shocking is when he opens his eyes to see a naked Lorin standing over him with a huge grin on his face.

Through a series of comedic and very bawdy -- VERY bawdy -- adventures, Lorin leads Paul on a romp of self re-discovery, re-visiting old memories and friends while trying to show Paul that he can't change his nature, that doing so would only be lying to himself and to others. It's actually very funny, in a 1970's sex-comedy-meets-"Ghost" kind of way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Paul and Lorin, their interactions with other characters, and just the simple fun of the book. With Banis' writing I found it very easy to picture all the events (ahem), and though it took place during the early 1970s, it didn't come across as dated. And what a surprise to find it has a happy ending for the gay characters. No one committing suicide because they're oppressed by how society views them or killed outright because they're gay. It's a sexy, fun book -- not for everyone -- but good to read. ( )