A review by emmas_reads_
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i’m not quite sure how this is the second book in a row that has managed to make me cry, but it has.

it took me almost to the end to really understand this story, which i find upsetting (for me) because i want to enjoy this story for what it is - an exploration of too little, too late; the impact of internalized homophobia on the self in the 1950s; the morality and immorality of love, and the impact that has on relationships.

giovanni and david’s relationship was doomed from the beginning. giovanni, i’m convinced, had depression (whether from his stillborn child or otherwise); david was stuck much too far in his head, shutting out and denying every signal of possible reciprocity to men he realized.

i read another review where the reviewer said that baldwin intentionally creates the confusion that david is feeling throughout the book, and i’m inclined to agree. whether that’s through the strange, jumping timeline; the long-winded and run-on sentences and paragraphs; the usage of french without providing translations (i refuse to believe that isn’t intentional).
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