Book Review: Four Squares

In 1992, on his thirtieth birthday, Artie Anderson meets the man who will change his life. Artie spends his days at a tedious advertising job, finding relief in the corner of New York City he can call his own, even as the queer community is still being ravaged by HIV. But when his birthday celebration brings Artie and his friends to his favorite bar, a chance encounter with Abe, an uptight lawyer and Artie’s opposite in almost every way, pushes Artie to want, and to ask for, more for himself.

Thirty years later, Artie is stunned when Halle and Vanessa, Abe’s daughter and ex-wife, announce they are moving across the country. Artie has built a lovely, if small, life, but their departure makes Artie realize that he might be lonelier than he previously thought. When a surprising injury pushes Artie into the hands of GALS, the local center for queer seniors, a rambunctious group of elders insist on taking him under their wing.

Alternating between both timelines, Four Squares is an intimate look at what it means to find community at any age. With humor and compassion, it honors the enduring power of queer friendship, its history, and how essential it is to keep those stories alive.

Four Squares by Bobby Finger will be published June 18, 2024. Penguin Group Putnam provided an early galley for review.

The allure of a story set in New York City is something I simply cannot resist. Combine it with an interesting, character-driven story and I'm ready to be entertained. That is certainly what is presented here in Finger's second novel.

The story moves along quickly, thanks in part to snappy yet natural dialogue. These were very honest, very believable characters. I felt comfortable jumping right into their world.

The dual narratives (1992 and 2022) can prove to be tricky. I get invested in one only to have the next chapter jump to the other. Part of me wants to read the chapters out of order just to stick to the time periods, but that's not what the author intended at all. Honoring the presentation is important.

All in all, a wonderful story about life, living and aging.