I’ve admired Rick R. Reed’s writing from first encounter, but with “Blink,” he reaches new heights. This novel reassures us about the pluses of age, the perspectives it offers and the hope it can buy.

In 1982, just before his marriage, Andy Slater found himself urgently attracted to a man, Carlos Castillo, who he saw across a subway. They agreed to meet after several sightings. But Andy felt intense guilt towards his fiancé. As Mr. Reed writes of Andy’s thoughts, “I forced myself to think of Alison, to replace the darkly taunting and delicious image of Carlos with her fair hair and blue-gray eyes, the warmth of her smile.”

He wrote a note explaining why he couldn’t go through with the tryst. But, upon seeing Carlos, Andy gave in, only to have their intimacy interrupted by a call from his mother. He thrust the note into Carlos’ hands, and for 30-plus years, Carlos has stood for “what-might-have-been,” especially after Andy’s marriage fell apart as he came out. Meanwhile, Carlos has found and lost love, and is a widower. If they meet again, will the spark have been an illusion?

Reed’s language is natural and easy flowing. Here is 1982 Carlos’ response to hook ups. “‘Shame lingers on me like the scent of cigarette smoke after leaving those places.’” This is his reaction to Andy. “He makes me think, for the first time in my life, that maybe I could love another man. And that terrifies me.” The contrast between these sentences shows readers the stark choices gay men felt in that era.

It would have been oh-so easy for Reed to have focused the book on a second chance romance. Instead, the middle of the book, is written in the present, while we wonder if the men will meet again. It wisely showcases their differing paths to self-acceptance. Readers can appreciate how life has hardened them, and how difficult romance might be if they did find one another.

"Blink" is semi-autobiographical. Because the author has struggled like Andy, its honesty is a benediction for everyone who looks back wistfully. It’s also an assurance that good things can come from the bad choices we all make. “It took me years to learn that happiness is not something one attains, but fleeting, like sunshine. It comes and goes,” Andy thinks to himself.

To its end, “Blink” is distinctive…. I applaud [it] as a parable of how one generation’s pain can buy a better future for the next. Society’s past condemnation of gay men may have pushed some into the closet. But those with the courage to be true to themselves create better possibilities for us today. Ultimately, this subtle but sparkling tale offers hope for when we feel lost.