priyankachampaneri 's review for:

Maurice by E.M. Forster

5.0

---

So so good; and, to echo a reviewer on the back cover of this paperback, so ahead of its time. While the first few chapters got off to a slow start for me, the book accelerated as soon as Maurice acknowledges his homosexuality and confirms what the reader knows all along. Forster is incredible on so many levels, but my favorite is his knack for infusing a seemingly serious and dramatic moment with absolute hilarity. Take the first chapter, where a headmaster etches out the mechanics of sex in the sand on a beach to a teenaged Maurice, only to stroll away from the spot and then realize that women are approaching and he's left his graphics there for all to see. The key component of this book is Forster's sympathy for each of his characters and his tender approach to describing their lives and problems. I'd never heard of this book; my library had it on the shelf next to A Passage to India and I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did.