In A Few Hints and Clews there are no graphic descriptions of hot, steamy sex. One brief chapter describes the men in the Lost and Found, a gay nightclub in Washington's gay district Adam visits with some regularity before getting into a committed relationship. Adam notices how "those with nice chests wear tight-fitting T-shirts, those with well-developed ones wear skimpy tank tops, and those with sensational ones wear no shirts at all," then stands back and "concentrates on looking at the bare flesh." That's about as graphic as it gets. And aside from the little swearing by a soldier in Vietnam, there is hardly any profanity in the book either. We've become so used to graphic scenes and explicit language that its absence is palpable. But the overarching concern in this novel is with relationships, romance, and love. This novel is romance, not erotica.

There is virtually no referencing in this story of specific events or milestones in the gay liberation movement — indeed its main character seems largely oblivious to such things as a gay lifestyle, community, or movement, or to politics. While the narration is sweeping, in terms of family history, it is very much focused on Adam and his personal life, of his personal experiences and those of his family. It is personal, not public. Still, as the story progresses, we see the subtle effects of the changes brought about by the gay liberation movement in how people react to them and how they are able to live their lives more freely.

A Few Hints and Clews is written in such simple, clear language, and is comprised of mostly very short chapters, that it can easily be read in small chunks, a chapter or two during one's lunch break or while waiting for the bus. But it is engaging enough to draw you in, to make you want to read it in one sitting. This novel truly is refreshing, moving, compassionate and, in today's hurried, socially-disconnected culture, a much-needed love story. Most refreshing of all, for me, was how very ordinary the story was.