Review by thecriticalreader - In Tongues

thecriticalreader 's review for:

In Tongues by Thomas Grattan

4.25

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

In Tongues by Thomas Grattan follows Gordon, a gay man who decides on a whim to move to New York City, despite having no connections, ambitions, or financial support. There, he allows himself to be swept into an assistant position for a wealthy gay couple, where he must navigate the socially treacherous position of his employment that may or may not have nebulous and hidden strings attached.

This book takes place at the time of the September 11 attacks, but the tragedy sends only the slightest of ripples into Gordon’s circle. His life is a series of smaller, poignant tragedies; he cannot quite seem to harden himself against the world’s casual cruelties, even if he seems aware of their existence. He meets the world with an outward bravado that fools no one as he clumsily stumbles toward human connection, only to be tripped up by society’s phoniness and his own self-destructive tendencies.

Grattan evokes the contours of Gordon’s life with deliciously precise language that lies somewhere between witty and poetic. Although permeated with a bewilderment at life that alternates between the melancholic and angry, In Tongues manages to deliver a sort of bittersweet hope: it may not ever “get better” as the queer nonprofit slogan promises, but the wisdom that comes from weathering painful experiences holds its own worth.

TL;DR: In Tongues by Thomas Grattan is an intimate, sharply written character study of a lonely and sometimes self-destructive gay man who must navigate the bewildering and frequently cruel landscapes of interpersonal relationships.

You might like In Tongues if you like . . .

· Slow-paced, character-focused literary fiction

· Themes of social alienation, queer identity, and complicated family relationships

· Stories that dwell in the darker, melancholy side of the human experience

· The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

· Books that take place in the early 2000s

· Messy and frustrating main characters

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of In Tongues in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings