He invites Tiffany to live with him in his New York City apartment. He finds a nearby Manhattan high school for her to attend. He sends her to Fame-type youth talent classes. “Uncle Ed” is hoping that both he and the whole NYC experience might help affect a change for the better in the troubled and troublesome Tiffany. As the book progresses we watch both uncle and niece learn and grow from the shared experience of living together.

As he himself admits, and as is evident in reading Breakfast with Tiffany, the mid-life-crisis-ridden Wintle is a bit on the neurotic side. He is lonely, feeling empty, and having some self-esteem issues regarding life and career decisions of his past. This is not an unusual problem for queers in general. We all struggle to partake in a normal adult life after miraculously surviving the social pressures of youth and coming out.

Wintle’s characterization of his gay self reminds me somewhat of the characters in 1980s-era plays like Jeffrey and other early gay-positive productions, in which gayness puts on its best “g-rated”, generically cosmopolitan face for the world. Uncle Ed certainly displays a compulsive tendency towards “wanting to impress”.

Wintle’s deeper problem is how he’s stuck in the funk of his never succeeding as a performing artist/actor and/or his depression in the realization that he does not possess such talent. His young niece Tiffany happens to be a natural singer/artist, albeit in need of guidance. This leads to Wintle being drawn to her, and his need to somewhat live vicariously through her, although the book ends before we find out how Tiffany will ultimately turn out.

Rather obsessively, but always lovingly, “Uncle Eddie” forgives Tiffany all manner of dreadful bratty and dangerous teen behavior, on the grounds that deep down inside, she’s really intelligent and artistic. She is lucky she has such a merciful, patient, concerned caretaker like him. Frankly, after a while, this reader found both her recurrent insufferable behavior and the often Jerry Springer-like episodes of her dysfunctional Connecticut family somewhat tedious. I was kind of over them halfway through the story. (“Thank God I’m queer”, was muttered often whilst reading this book.)

As with many gays, Wintle uses lots of humorous references to Hollywood classic films, TV’s golden age, Broadway musicals and interior decorating to color his life and writing style. In this vein, when I learned that his book was being developed as a film vehicle, I found myself playfully imagining any number of ways Breakfast with Tiffany could be transmogrified to the big screen. One can picture a kind of gay Auntie Eddie-Mame musical (using Tiffany’s many poems for song lyrics); or perhaps a The Trouble with Angels comedic approach. If it ends up a made-for-TV-movie drama on any of the “women’s” channels, the story might even take a darker turn, ala The Bad Seed or even a Mildred Pierce.

Breakfast with Tiffany is a light, breezy read. Its chapters are connected as if patched together from the author’s own old personal diary. As the book’s entries sort of jump about in both time and subject matter, it’s perfect for summer-on-the-beach reading or vacation/travel reading, as it can be picked up and put down, with long intervals in between readings, without losing track.

Readers who live in the NYC tri-state area (especially those who know Manhattan’s downtown end) will find familiarity in the book’s geographic settings. Wintle is very detailed in describing his city’s neighborhoods.

Parents with gay relatives or with problem children or with substance abuse/alcohol issues should find this book to be of interest. Family-oriented gays may find themes common to their own lives here. In today’s reactionary, conservative and anti-gay social climate in America, it’s important to have reminders of the positive contribution gays make to their families. Breakfast with Tiffany serves this function well.

Get Breakfast with Tiffany or visit edwinjohnwintle.com