As a child, the main character of Joseph F. Delgado JEROME KLINGEMANN, LOSER MAGNET suffers several episodes of sexual abuse by a variety of males in his life, his parents either ignorant of each situation or choosing to ignore it. He is confused about his sexual orientation as a youngster, but eventually joins the LGBQT community in college. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he accepts a teaching position in a high school. He later earns a master’s degree in software engineering and goes to work for a major technology firm. As a young adult, Jerome has many romantic escapades, usually spurred by alcohol, that typically begin in a bar, an adult video arcade, or some type of social gathering. His encounters quickly relocate to his or someone else’s bedroom, long before he has a chance to get to know the person. He winds up getting exactly what his actions demonstrate he’s seeking, so the words ‘loser magnet’ in the title are somewhat of a misnomer.
Throughout the book, Jerome agonizes over his bad luck in the romance department which he refers to as a collection of social losers, flunkies, and duds. The only man Jerome thinks could be the one true love of his life is a man of Indian descent named Harmeet Bahtti. Infatuated with Harmeet’s exuberant beauty, Jerome believes him to be solid marriage material. He’s enamored of his whole being, even finding the way Harmeet talks about Fortran compilers to be sensual. They date for a while, but unfortunately, as fate would have it, there is no long-term relationship in the future possible for these two men.
Author Delgado tells Jerome’s story in first person narration to his confidant and mentor, Lindall Leslie Scott Graham III, a former senator who Jerome met under a toilet stall wall at the Minneapolis International Airport. The book reads like a memoir, with a series of fleeting thoughts haphazardly assembled on the pages. This unorganized writing style brings a level of realism to the story—like the main character is recalling aspects of his life as the memories come to him. The wit and sarcasm used by the narrator are amusing and entertaining. Delgado chose to format the book with frequent long-winded paragraphs and no chapter breaks. While these are stylistic choices, breaking up the story into more manageable sections would make it more readable. The book would also benefit from a thorough proofreading to eliminate technical errors.
Author Joseph F. Delgado uses a clever storytelling technique and satirical humor to relay the desperate tale of JEROME KLINGEMANN, LOSER MAGNET, a gay man looking for a meaningful relationship in all the wrong places.
~Florence Osmund for IndieReader