Men Talk Review - February/March 2001

Book Reviews Bruce Bullock of Minneapolis, Minnesota has just published two new novels, Unauthorized Procedure and Mulubuku and the Fathers, both finished this year (2000) and now available on line at mightywords.com. Unauthorized Procedure concerns the life of a brilliant concert violinist and orchestral conductor, who is compelled to carve out a career for himself with no parental support and otherwise scarce resources. The story opens at the point where his disastrous marriage to a nymphomaniacal, alcoholic wife becomes intolerable, and he divorces her when he is at the point of a nervous breakdown. Mark, the protagonist, reaches his breaking point at the "party" from which he flees, aimlessly wandering on foot He is found and rescued by Collin, who is attracted to him. Years later Mark and Collin find each other unexpectedly on the faculty of the same university, where they become lovers. Mark contracts AIDS non-sexually at a careless clinic. Physician and genetic researcher, Dr. Ketteridge, cures Mark’s disease, but at the same time genetically alters Mark’s sexual orientation from "gay" to "heterosexual." Collin leaves Mark when he learns of the change, and Mark kills himself. Mulubuku and the Fathers recounts in fictional form several historical events that occurred in New Mexico. Moose and Gus leave the unrewarding oilfields of Texas to get in on the ground floor of a new oil boom in northwestern New Mexico. Whereas Gus is a ruthless opportunist, Moose sees the folly of allowing the oilmen to wreak havoc on the little town of Farmington, and takes charge of maintaining order. Moose grows wealthy with the help of his wife, Lillian, and together they cause the town to prosper. Gus hopes to consolidate his wealth with that of Moose by marrying his son, Curtis, to Moose’s daughter, Millie. Moose takes his family to Africa on safari. In the winter he takes Curtis hunting in Minnesota, where Moose is severely wounded by a bear and saved by Curtis. Moose brings an African prince to address the town Rotary Club. The prince turns out to be a Harvard student pulling a hoax with two other students from Kenya. On the indecorous arrival of the "prince" at the airport Millie instantly falls in love with him at first sight, as does Curtis with Amuabu, one of the "prince’s" bodyguards. Both sets of lovers have to flee the wrath of Gus, who feels cheated and kills Moose.