City Of Night, John Rechy
I read this book because I heard that it was the inspiration for Gus Van Sant' film My Own Private Idaho. River Phoenix's character is apparently based on the same transcient faceless narrator and I think if you enjoyed the film the book makes an interesting companion.
Many of the same themes are present, with some fascinating character portrayals that resonate strongly in the film.
The book and film both seem to explore this concept of 'otherness' and 'difference'. Van Sant has said sexuality is more complex than the labels 'straight' and 'gay'. In the novel a lot of the hustlers and 'scores' don't refer to themselves as 'gay' or 'homosexual' but use a common derogative terms such as 'fag' and 'fairy' to express their faux masculinity and aggression in the vernacular. The danger and debauchery the characters entertain themselves with also seems like a performance but one that is often the result or masking of deeper more complex emotional fears about identity and sexuality.
As a psychological study it is fascinating, but the narrative and plot are meandering and oblique in the extreme. Often the scenes resemble cryptic dreams and the laconic indifference of the narrator to those around him creates an overwhelming sense of dispair and darkness. Despite the bleakness of the character, the story does give some fantastic descriptions of New York in that era from a very hazy beatnik perception.
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