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passinan's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eriknoteric's review
2.0
A short, odd tale that blends classic gay fiction with poetry and philosophy, David Plante's "The Catholic" hasn't aged well and just simply does not make sense.
Ostensibly a tale of a renegade former Catholic French man exploring his gay sexuality in Boston, Plante uses first-person narration to dive into the psyche of a confused young man. Dan meets a boy at a bar and falls in love with the idea of him he has in his head, an idea formed after just on meeting. Following this meeting, Dan destroys all of his pride - and his friendships - trying to dissect this ideal he's constructed in his head. Only after seeing his ideal in the flesh at a time when he is sick is Dan finally able to get over his "love."
A combination of far-too-overwritten and lacking a proper story, "The Catholic" is a disappointment of classic gay fiction.
Ostensibly a tale of a renegade former Catholic French man exploring his gay sexuality in Boston, Plante uses first-person narration to dive into the psyche of a confused young man. Dan meets a boy at a bar and falls in love with the idea of him he has in his head, an idea formed after just on meeting. Following this meeting, Dan destroys all of his pride - and his friendships - trying to dissect this ideal he's constructed in his head. Only after seeing his ideal in the flesh at a time when he is sick is Dan finally able to get over his "love."
A combination of far-too-overwritten and lacking a proper story, "The Catholic" is a disappointment of classic gay fiction.
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