The Unborn Spouse Situation

Matt Rauscher
Lulu Press (2005)
ISBN 1411629205
Reviewed by Thomas Gabrielli for Reader Views (2/07)

Augie Schoenberg, a young, gay film student, enrolls in a small-town Illinois college to pursue his dream. His dream is not so much as to become a screenwriter as it is to secure a boyfriend. Or, so it seems. The book describes his adventures, his friends, his exploits.

As a film student who attends a college that has no film curriculum, Augie does manage to take several film-related courses. With an eye on ending up in Hollywood, he admits he has never even seen a Hitchcock film. Actually, his eye is more on the guys in Harley Hutt, the house he lives in on-campus, than on his career. And while he makes note that he’s the only gay guy in the Hutt, there seems to be an awful lot of gay activity going on there among the “straight” guys.

Augie’s quest is one of yearning, hopefulness, sexual satisfaction, aimlessness, and, ultimately, one of misdirected ambitions.  Along the way, we are introduced to many of his friends, a group of misfits which is just as weird and meandering as is Augie.  Another character, his literature instructor, gives the novel some genuine sentiment at times.

In this inaugural novel, Matt Rauscher shows a keen sense of dark humor, taking situations far beyond what you would expect. A word of caution, though -- If you are embarrassed or offended by sexually explicit gay situations, then perhaps this book is not for you. This tone is established right from page one and continues throughout the book, becoming progressively more graphic. While I wasn’t shocked by the language or situations, I think it would have made for a better read without the “porn factor,” a phrase I use without negative connotations.

A back-cover comment compares this work with “Catcher in the Rye,” and rightly so. While reading this, I kept making the comparisons with the characters. However, this certainly doesn’t have the literary staying power as Sallinger’s work does.

This is a very strange yet intriguing book.  If you enjoy reading gay novels, then I would recommend “The Unborn Spouse Situation.”  (Don’t ask what the title refers to: even Augie couldn’t quite answer that.)  The characters are colorful and unique, and Rauscher keeps it interesting by placing them in some very unconventional circumstances.  “The Unborn Spouse Situation” is worth the read.

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