by Philippe Besson, Molly Ringwald (Translation)
A simple, beautiful and touching tale of young love and the difference of years. We're coming into a time when it becomes less and less plausible to hide one's identity through shame. But in the 1980s, there was little other choice. The psychological impact of that is undeniable gigantic. For anyone who thinks justice and equality is on some inexorable march forward, compare the closed-in atmosphere of this book to the freewheeling sexual politics of pre-WWII Paris.
That's not to say of course homophobia did not exist prior to the 50s, but there is no question that it grew and covered society like a poisonous ivy. In some generations we are free, in some we are imprisoned, and it does not necessarily move forward, but swings back and forth.
For example, during the lockdown I've been diving into Roman history, and in particular the emperor Hadrian. Not only did one of the most famous men in history have a male lover Antinous, he had the senate deify Antinous after the young man's death and established cults of worship throughout the empire. In fact, by some accounts there are more statues of Antinous which have survived from antiquity than any other figure.
And we're jumping up and down about marriage equality as proof of the fact it's never been better for most folk to come out than in 2020? Honey, give me an imperial cult dedicated to the worship of the most powerful man in the world's toyboy. 'It get's better' takes an awfully short-sighted view of queer history. It was better, way better, just way back then.
Nevertheless, in the 20th and 21st centuries, clearly there has been progress. Lie With Me is a wonderful marker of that progress, and unlike other novels about the closet, we get to see the progress inside the story given it's broad time frame.
In short, this is a stunning memoir as novel reminder about the self induced prison of shame. The story unfolds like a dream, the author recounting this seminal event in his life like confiding to an old friend. It captures these moments in time with such honesty that it leaves you wondering if these aren't actually your own memories being told back to you.
A must read.
5 Stars!
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