Scan barcode
A review by literarychronicles
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
David is an American traveller in Paris. His girlfriend Hella is in Spain taking some time to decide whether she wants to marry David. In the meantime, David runs out of funds & has to borrow some from Jaques, a wealthy businessman. In return, he has to accompany Jaques when he goes out. At one bar, he meets Giovanni. Jaques is interested in him, but Giovanni and David are instantly attracted to each other. David fights the attraction as he doesn’t want anyone to know his interest in the young man. However, the night ends with David going home with Giovanni.
This is the second novel written by James Baldwin and is considered a classic of gay literature. Although this is the story about a gay man, it really is the story of love. It is also the story of anyone who struggles to fit in to the social norms.
David, the protagonist, envisions a conventional life for himself & is determined to live that life. However, he finds it unable to repress his impulses. He tries to get away by proposing to his girlfriend, but he is tortured by his conscience. Throughout this short novel, we see how David struggles to keep his sexuality hidden. His constant struggle is between his true desires and his sense of convention. He knows he will become a social pariah if he gives into his desires. Hence, he tries to do what’s accepted to survive. We see his struggle with being gay, the shame, and how that shame taints everything else in his life. His need to escape who he really is resulted in him losing both his fiancé & his lover.
I struggled to write this review. I don’t think I can ever do justice to this masterpiece. I found this book to be heart-breaking. Yet it was so elegant & beautiful. The pain the reader feels for the characters is debilitating.
This was the first book by Baldwin I read, but it won’t be the last. I found the first few chapters to be slow, but I'm glad I read on. I struggled throughout with the French parts. Although these phrases can be understood in context, I stopped to translate each one of them.
This is recommended to anyone who’d love a classic psychological novel.
This is the second novel written by James Baldwin and is considered a classic of gay literature. Although this is the story about a gay man, it really is the story of love. It is also the story of anyone who struggles to fit in to the social norms.
David, the protagonist, envisions a conventional life for himself & is determined to live that life. However, he finds it unable to repress his impulses. He tries to get away by proposing to his girlfriend, but he is tortured by his conscience. Throughout this short novel, we see how David struggles to keep his sexuality hidden. His constant struggle is between his true desires and his sense of convention. He knows he will become a social pariah if he gives into his desires. Hence, he tries to do what’s accepted to survive. We see his struggle with being gay, the shame, and how that shame taints everything else in his life. His need to escape who he really is resulted in him losing both his fiancé & his lover.
I struggled to write this review. I don’t think I can ever do justice to this masterpiece. I found this book to be heart-breaking. Yet it was so elegant & beautiful. The pain the reader feels for the characters is debilitating.
This was the first book by Baldwin I read, but it won’t be the last. I found the first few chapters to be slow, but I'm glad I read on. I struggled throughout with the French parts. Although these phrases can be understood in context, I stopped to translate each one of them.
This is recommended to anyone who’d love a classic psychological novel.