White, Christian by Christopher Stoddard
with an introduction by Bruce Benderson

The borderline lifestyle of twenty-year-old Christian White is a carnival of
drugs and sex, accessorized by designer clothes and frequent stealing or
scamming. Underneath the decadence are haunting memories of childhood
abuse, the death of a brother and a father’s criminal past. Expecting to make
a fresh start, Christian relocates from San Francisco to New York, just as
his friends are being rounded up by the police; but life only spirals farther out of
control in the new setting. Instead of drugs, Christian’s existence is beginning
to center around sex. He has let himself slip into prostitution, and he may have
even played a part in the murder of a successful architect, although he can’t
remember the evening entirely. It has become increasingly clear to Christian
that the only way to save himself is to come to terms with the past, no matter
how painful—or how dangerous—the trip.


Christopher has a way with words.  His prose is beautiful.  His characters are real.
From the first page the main character, Christian White will captivate you. You will
want to help him, you will become angry with him, and you will cheer him for small
but meaningful accomplishments. --->Out in Print Queer Book Review

The writing is wonderful and it grabs you. Even though you are not going for a happy ride, 
you dare not stop—like Christian himself. We want him to deal with his past and straighten up.
Stoddard gives us brilliant prose and a fascinating main character and that is what kept me reading. 
                                                                                               --->Amos Lassen

White, Christian is an incredible whirlwind from start to finish. Frantic, painful, obsessive, destructive,
and yearning, this is a story about a lost young man. From a dysfunctional childhood to an abusive father
and a religiously destructive mother, Christian struggles to be something. His path of mistakes,
missteps, and errors is not necessarily one filled with hope or envy.  --->Rainbow Reviews

“Christian White, the fragile but somehow dynamic protagonist of the novel, is about to go under
when the story begins. Young, attractive, droll, addicted, frightened, cynical, homosexual, infantile,
campy, sexually compulsive, he’s a poster boy for a long list of contemporary dysfunctions…
In this fascinating novel, the author has intimately depicted the whirling frenzy of a soul with little
insight into itself, then put that soul through the sharp-bladed blender of calamity, the only road to
this particular character’s self-knowledge. And he has made it entertaining and relevant to us…
But the most amazing thing about this book is the author’s ability to sustain his vision.”
                    Bruce Benderson, from the Introduction to White, Christian

“The details are familiar: familial–and other–dysfunctional relationships, religion, drugs, prostitution,
even murder, but Stoddard’s voice is fresh and honest, drawing us in, holding onto our attention
and growing empathy.”   Tsipi Keller, author of Jackpot

Christopher Stoddard


Christopher Stoddard was born in Connecticut in 1981.
He lives in New York City. This is his first novel; he’s currently
working on a second. His website is whitechristianbook.com.
His email address is antichrispres at gmail dot com