I recently read a hilarious book by Mari SanGiovanni. I knew it from the title Greetings from Jamaica I wish you were queer this book was going to be fun and probably challenge the mindset of some more traditional people.

While the story appears to be an autobiography of the author’s life, I still can’t say for sure if all of this crazy stuff really happened to Mari. She may have been awarded millions of dollars in the settlement of her grandmother’s estate, but then again, it could be one of the stories we wish would happen to us.

The characters in the story are bold and vibrant, as expressed quite well in the author’s “show, don’t tell” writing style. I felt like I was sitting by the pool watching crazy Italians having a family argument while drunk on margaritas. I let out a heartbreaking laugh when Aunt Aggie fell into the pool during one of her tirades and messed up her “helmet” hairstyle. She deserved it. She deserved it, but somehow even she managed to laugh at her situation. She would have the last laugh no matter what. And who wouldn’t when she has so much money she can afford to give it to strangers across the pool? She wishes she was there. Wishing she was queer? Well, that probably won’t happen unless she falls in love with a movie star and moves to California.

Anyone would want to meet this Italian family, but who would really want to be related to one of the members? A concerned/nosy mom, a flirtatious, pot-smoking dad who eases every tense moment by suggesting they all eat something—spicy, spicy meatballs, of course. Husband, did you really drop a meatball on your foot? However, Katherine finds Uncle Tony irresistible enough to want to marry him. His wedding was another fiasco with the press there to photograph, not the bride and groom, but his movie star and lesbian lover!

After spending a week on vacation in Florida with my family, I can only imagine taking our gang to Jamaica. There you have it. The book is about bravery and honesty. And it’s about doing something unconventional like loving someone of the same gender and having sex with them. While the gripping love scenes are his and hers, the reader must understand that love knows no conditions such as age, gender, money, or race. Love happens where and when it happens. It is up to us to appreciate it instead of judging it.