''What We Do Is Secret'' is a novel by

Thorn Kief Hillsbery Thorn Kief Hillsbery is an American novelist. He is the author of '' War Boy'' and '' What We Do Is Secret'', which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. He was born in Portland, Oregon, and attended Evergreen State College. He currently liv ...

, published by

Villard Villard may refer to: People *Villard (surname) Places France *Villard, Creuse *Villard, Haute-Savoie * Villard-Bonnot, in the Isère department *Villard-de-Lans, in the Isère department * Villard-d'Héry, in the Savoie department * Villard-Lé ...

in 2005. ''What We Do Is Secret'' takes place in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1981, six months after the death of Darby Crash (lead singer of the Germs). It is narrated by a gay

street kid Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policyma ...

named Rockets Redglare, who knew Darby personally. All the action occurs over the course of 24 hours, on Rockets' 13th birthday.

Synopsis

Rockets was ten years old when he first met Darby Crash, lead singer of LA punk band the Germs. He and Darby had a sexual relationship and Rockets, like many in the scene, looked up to Darby. Rockets was aware, however, that he was often manipulated by Darby's mind games and talent for controlling people. After Darby's death Rockets continues to hang out in the local punk scene, but things are changing and he considers leaving LA. Rockets' circle of close friends is composed of Siouxie, Squid, and Blitzer. Peripheral characters include Rory Dolores, Animal Cracker, Slade, and Hellin Killer. Despite his age, Rockets is accepted as one of the gang, but he is secretly scared of being returned to a group home. Blitzer, a young man, is very affectionate towards Rockets and the two gradually become more intimate, sexually and otherwise. Blitzer holds out the hope of a new life for the two of them together in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. Blitzer gradually gets more intimate with Rockets, buying a double sleeping bag when they go camping and offering to hold his penis in the bathroom. Eventually, after a concert, they make love and Rockets welcomes Blitzer's advances. They then shower together and Blitzer comments on the bruises that Rockets got when he was arrested by the police]. Rockets admits to Blitzer, "My worst fear is like ending up in a boy's home." Blitzer then gives the boy his first shave and later on shaves his head as Rockets turns from punk to skinhead for his birthday. All four of the core group of friends make money by turning tricks of one sort or another and spend it on drugs, typically

poppers Popper is a slang term given broadly to drugs of the chemical class called alkyl nitrites that are inhaled. Most widely sold products include the original isoamyl nitrite or isopentyl nitrite, and isopropyl nitrite. Isobutyl nitrite is also ...

, tabs, and the

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

derivative Desoxyn. Two gay tourists hire the group to show them around LA and are therefore also involved in much of the action of the book.

References

2005 American novels American LGBT novels Fiction set in 1981 Novels set in Los Angeles Villard (imprint) books 2005 LGBT-related literary works {{2000s-LGBT-novel-stub