The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela

Let me start out by saying that I enjoyed this book, because some of what I say about it might lead you to think otherwise. Andrés, the protagonist of the novel, is a gay Latino professor of public health who is on the rocks with his spouse who recently cheated on him but wants to repair the relationship. He decides to go back to his home town, Babylon, a fictional suburban community of an unnamed urban city, to support his sick father and caretaker mother. His parents, immigrants from El Salvador and Colombia, settled in the town to raise Andrés and his older brother, Henry. Against his better judgment, Andrés also decides to attend his 20-year high school reunion, which brings up all sorts of emotions and memories, not the least of which is growing up both gay and the child of brown-skinned immigrants. That is largely the subtext--the test is the reliving of previous relationships with men in high school who are now married with children. The subtitle of this would be "you Can't Go Home--But If You Do, Be Prepared". It is the emotional roller coaster you would expect.