John Rechy's new novel is a return to the themes and scenes of his classic, best-selling city of night and a bittersweet memorial to a lost world -- gay Los Angeles in the moment before aids. It is 1981, a summer night, ...John Rechy's new novel is a return to the themes and scenes of his classic, best-selling city of night and a bittersweet memorial to a lost world -- gay Los Angeles in the moment before aids. It is 1981, a summer night, and an unscripted ritual is about to take place.