Guess What? I Love You
Alternating between wry reflection and heightened vulnerability, Guess What? I Love You is a moving memoir about lasting love.
Mike Maimone’s moving memoir Guess What? I Love You is about his pivotal relationship with an older publicist.
After connecting through a “hookup app” in 2022, Maimone and Howard Bragman made the usual exchange of “risque photos” and teasing texts. But as a long-distance romance developed between them, their communications became more personal. Both men were Midwest natives who shared a strong work ethic and a love of football and music, but Maimone, then a forty-year-old musician and website designer, was based in Nashville, while Bragman, who was twenty-five years older, helmed an eminent Los Angeles public relations and crisis management agency. Later, when Bragman was diagnosed with leukemia, Maimone assumed a caretaking role. Their marriage plans became more urgent; a hospital ceremony was held, and Bragman died the following day.
Alternating between wry reflection and heightened vulnerability, the book chronicles various challenges in the men’s relationship. During their initial text conversations, for example, Bragman advised Maimone that he wasn’t “good at monogamy”; though he’d be willing to offer his heart, he still might want to share “other parts” of his body with different men. Maimone, however, preferred the “sexy” constancy of faithful partnerships. Concerns regarding the couple’s age gap are also addressed. Some generalities are made, though, based on their relationship, as with the claim that after decades of suppression and “hiding behind masks,” liberated gay men often delight in public displays of affection.
The tone shifts to reflect the couple’s changing circumstances, moving from exuberant intimacy to descriptions of Bragman’s painful medical treatments and his hushed final moments. Maimone recites the Catholic rosary for his Jewish lover; he also observes the vagueness of time in a hospital, as the “peach walls” of Bragman’s room are shadowed by “cool blue” evening dusk. But an aggravated account of a troubled music project distracts from the otherwise eloquent language, and the book’s concluding chapters take on a somewhat starstruck tone.
Indeed, Bragman’s public relations brilliance made him the indispensable ally of famous LGBTQ+ clients, and his death prompted a rush of media attention and celebrity condolences. More humanizing are the book’s grounding biographical details about him: his 1970s coming-out story; his later advocacy for gay youth; and his irrepressible humor, mischievous quirks, generosity, and unfailing encouragement of Maimone’s creative endeavors.
A revelatory and rousing memoir, Guess What? I Love You is about love, connection, and a joyous legacy.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
