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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In Frederick Groya’s Good Intentions, Tom Rudnik is a corporate lawyer determined to build the family life expected of him after refusing his attorney father’s plans for his career. He meets Amelia Stanford, a graphic designer from rural Iowa who has built the future she dreamed of, and they marry before welcoming their son, Nicky. Tom has spent years hiding his attraction to men alongside doubts about the Catholic beliefs that shaped his childhood. After a promotion takes the family to Washington, DC, their marriage begins breaking down. Tom’s friendship with Bill Marino, a gay teacher from their Unitarian church, turns intimate as he keeps that relationship separate from home. With Nicky aware of his parents’ unhappiness, Tom faces decisions that could remake the family he once believed would define his future.
Frederick Groya’s Good Intentions is a really well-executed LGBTQ+ novel, and Tom is a wonderful protagonist, especially in the seriousness he brings to fatherhood. Groya fleshes him out superbly when Tom takes Nicky for pizza after an argument at home and reassures him that he will always be there. I love how Groya brings Jason into that bond when Jason lets Nicky take the helm of a sailboat on Chesapeake Bay. Groya is bang-on with period history, placing Amelia just feet from the 1981 Hyatt Regency skywalk collapse as Tom reaches the hotel amid rescue crews. Sidney McMullin is a brilliantly repellent antagonist in Tom’s professional life, cornering Tom after recognizing him at a gay bathhouse and offering advancement in exchange for sex. It's such a heartfelt, beautiful read, and readers who enjoy exceptional literary fiction will adore this book.
