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An unnamed man, in the wake of a breakup, begins frequenting a peepshow arcade where closeted men meet for anonymous sex. The arcade is a strange world, one where questions of power, race, and class collide with unhinged sexual desire, with fetishes, fantasies, and even occasionally love.The protagonist explores this curious new place, where many of society's rules are thrown out and replaced with a very specific code of conduct. After being driven to the arcade by a break-up and subsequent obsession with a cop who left him due to his fear of coming out, he compulsively returns, neurotically cataloguing the sights and sounds of the arcade, its overwhelming sleaziness, its safety and dangers.As his adventures both within the arcade and beyond continue to escalate, he must eventually confront whether his time at the arcade is just the passing phase that his small town Texas family insists it is, or perhaps, the gateway to a new way of life.
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Reviews
"If youre a fan of conflicted characters who struggle with identity and desire, then this novel is for you. The story begins with a breakup and escalates with the discovery of a peep show that, from the outside, appears to be just a cruising hot spot but is eventually revealed as an embodiment of desire and self-image."
Emy Rodriguez, Time Out New York
"A sexy, amusing, and thoroughly engrossing slice of gay fiction that is impressively accomplished for a debut. It's also a highly auspicious beginning for a Texas writer with certain promise."
The Bay Area Reporter
"In his debut novel Arcade, Smith explores the underground world of an adult video store where gay men cruise for casual sex and enjoy XXX peepshows. Here Smith examines the power cruising has in making us rethink our identities and to help us reconcile with our sometimes troubled pasts."
Out Magazine