Hey, Joe (novel)
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| Author | Ben Neihart |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Released | 1996 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 200 p. (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-684-81316-5 (hardback edition) |
Hey, Joe is Ben Neihart’s first novel.
Joe Keith has just turned 16. He’s gay but this is not something that gives him any concern. He accepts it and his life is more relaxed and stress-free than most of his many friends. He lives in New Orleans with his mother who he loves and respects.
Joe has had a series of gay relationships. His first love was Al Theim when they were both just twelve. Joe is the central character in Hey, Joe, but the main plot concerns a lawsuit, filed by a group of orphans, alleging sexual abuse against Rae Schipke, executive director of the charitable foundation that supports their orphanage in the French Quarter. Welk, Joe’s 19-year-old lover, works at the orphanage.
Rae Schipke is a 37-year-old woman who runs the orphanage. Some of the orphans have accused her of child sexual abuse. In particular, she is accused of molesting two 11-year-old boys on a sleepover. The novel charts the course of the trial and Rae’s attempts to pervert the course of justice. She hopes to get a hung jury so she can escape to Brazil and is looking forward to “the pick of all those street urchins selling themselves for pennies”.
Rae doesn’t get the result she wants and moves onto the attack.
