I think this is my first jump into lgbt focused literature. I really wanted to explore the experience of others within the gay community and happened upon this novel pretty quickly.

Edmund White has a nice style of writing. I liked how each chapter seemed self contained and explored a different part of his adolescence. Although it didn’t read chronologically and jumped here and there, it suited the narrative he was driving and explored different phases in his sexual awakening.

In saying that, I’m not sure what the narrative achieved in the end. What did Edmund learn, how did he perceive himself and his actions? There’s a moment near the end where he talks about the characters after the events of the novel, but it honestly doesn’t seem like an ending. It’s a conclusion without any resolution to the internal conflicts faced by Edmund. We don’t really know where he stands with his sexuality, if he approves of it, and how the events of the novels influenced his idea of what being a gay man meant.

Based on real events, I’m alarmed by some of the experiences Edmund manages to go through during adolescence, and how easy they came upon him. It made for an interesting read, but I wonder if his experiences were the outlier of the average American homosexual man’s experience during the 50’s. I can’t say I related to them at least.

Anyway, overall, it was a fun read. Good to see another gay man’s story respective and how sexuality directed and influenced their life, even if I’m still unsure what it is I just read.