AN EVENING WITH BIRDY O’DAY
by Greg Kearney
Arsenal Pulp Press. 336 pages, $21.95
IN HIS GENTLY COMIC NOVEL An Evening with Birdy O’Day, Greg Kearney manages, among other things, to spin a poignant tale sustained over the course of sixty years, employing antiheros as the two main characters. Roland, our narrator, is never entirely in charge of his life, while his childhood friend Birdy fiercely controls his own life, Roland’s life, and that of anyone who lets him get away with it. As the novel begins, Roland is feeling every one of his 69 years, but is thrilled to learn that after 45 years his best friend—the once Grammy-winning now has-been Birdy O’Day—is scheduled to perform in their hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the first time. As guests of Mr. O’Day, Roland and his husband Tony will sit in the front row to witness Birdy’s talents before a paid audience.
Thomas Keith is professor of theater at Pace University in New York, as well as a writer and dramaturg.
