THE SWIMMING-POOL LIBRARY

by Alan Hollinghurst ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 1988

A literary gay novel from England that contrasts the uninhibited pre-AIDS sex scene with gay life of earlier decades; the author is deputy editor of the Times Literary Supplement. London, 1983: not a whisper about mysterious diseases ravaging gay men. Narrator Will Beckwith is a beautiful 25-year-old, supported by his doting grandfather (Viscount Beckwith) and dividing his time between his largely gay gym and discos. During these summer months, Will has two lovers: Arthur, poor and black, who vanishes soon after accidentally killing a drug-dealer in a fight offstage; and Phil, a hotel-waiter, who works out at Will's gym. ""Both of them were teenagers over whom I had taken many advantages."" Chronically unfaithful, Will continues to have casual sex, often fast and brutal; there are set-pieces devoted to a gay movie theater and a wild disco. A different perspective comes from Charles Natwich, an 83-year-old ""queer peer"" who has become involved with Will after the younger man saves his life by administering CPR. Lengthy excerpts from Charles' diaries (he is hoping Will will write his biography) reveal a gay subculture that was both more furtive and more idealistic; Ronald Firbank is invoked as an icon. This is a novel without a storyline, but with one late-arriving twist: Charles had once been imprisoned, victim of a campaign by Will's grandfather, then a high-ranking bureaucrat, ""to eradicate male vice."" A debut that is both surprisingly bold and surprisingly evasive. The boldness is in the unabashed, graphic sex; Hollinghurst has captured exactly an ambiance permeated by sexual longing and sexual opportunity. But he is evasive in his treatment of the vain, irresponsible, and self-deluding Will; we expect that such an unlikable protagonist should get, if not his comeuppance, a much bigger push towards self-knowledge. Still, promising work overall.

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 1988

ISBN: 0679722564

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION