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A review by pangnaolin
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I picked this up the same day that I finished Go Tell It on the Mountain, which was definitely quite the change of pace. I was immediately surprised at how different his voice is, and it definitely made it even clearer how much he altered his writing to mimic the Bible's diction in Go Tell It on the Mountain. I loved the sort of casual tone of this novel, though.
I've found that Baldwin is very good at writing characters I have mixed feelings about. Dave was a particularly difficult character for me, which is of course the intention. I was sorry for him, but I also hated him in a dull sort of way. Usually, characters in books get me into the kind of anger where I want to scream at and hit them, but Dave had me feeling the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" kind of angry. I felt disgusted by him, honestly. Not only had he horribly internalized toxic masculinity and homophobia, but he was fairly overtly misogynistic-- and because of it all, he treated Giovanni [and Hella] horribly. I couldnd't stand it. All of the men were misogynistic, though, and had varying degrees of self-hate. It was interesting to, for lack of better phrasing, see them have gay sex and then turn around and insult men around them for being so queer.
A detail I noticed that stuck with me is how much Dave describes what he tried to do what his body and what really happened. I can't remember any specific examples at the moment, but just the way he described how he hoped his smile had been boyish, or how he wanted something he said to come across one way, but knew it came out with a tone of desperation. I felt this sort of disconnect he had with himself-- an inability to not betray his own feelings, even if he didn't want to admit them to himself either.
I loved Hella and how honest and direct she was, even if I had a sort of "she's got the right spirit" response to a lot of the intelligent things she had to say. Giovanni was quite a lovely character, too, and it was difficult to watch him devolve and experience all that went his way. Honestly, when they first introduced the idea that [note that this 'spoiler' is introduced almost right away]he was going to be put to death , I was sort of expecting it to be just because he's gay. It makes me laugh a little, looking back. I guess it's the Amerikan in me to assume that'd be why.
Regardless, I love how Baldwin explored every theme of internalized hate and the contradictions in behavior that come with the inherent intersectionality of identity. It took me through the motions of loving then hating characters, but really just wanting to see them be better than they are.
His style in this was definitely more accessible than his style in Go Tell It on the Mountain [reasonably], and I honestly enjoyed it quite a bit more just because it was more my speed on that level. Something about the style drew me in this time. I have images of every location in the novel in my mind, and I bet you I could draw a shitty map of their corner of Paris, too. I felt really immersed in the world. I think the style made it easier to feel for the characters-- like I knew them. I'm sure the way it started as Dave telling himself the story of his relationship with Giovanni emphasized it, too. I felt like an uncomfortable friend turned makeshift therapist.
Regardless, I loved the characters [as characters, though maybe not as people] and the writing, and I feel like it managed to tell a lifelong story in only a couple months that felt like only a couple days. It's hard to find stories that know when to start and stop-- that know how to pick a moment to tell a much larger story. Baldwin is quite good at that. I hope to read more of his work at some point, though I think I should take a break for now.
If you have the time and energy, it's definitely worth a read.
I've found that Baldwin is very good at writing characters I have mixed feelings about. Dave was a particularly difficult character for me, which is of course the intention. I was sorry for him, but I also hated him in a dull sort of way. Usually, characters in books get me into the kind of anger where I want to scream at and hit them, but Dave had me feeling the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" kind of angry. I felt disgusted by him, honestly. Not only had he horribly internalized toxic masculinity and homophobia, but he was fairly overtly misogynistic-- and because of it all, he treated Giovanni [and Hella] horribly. I couldnd't stand it. All of the men were misogynistic, though, and had varying degrees of self-hate. It was interesting to, for lack of better phrasing, see them have gay sex and then turn around and insult men around them for being so queer.
A detail I noticed that stuck with me is how much Dave describes what he tried to do what his body and what really happened. I can't remember any specific examples at the moment, but just the way he described how he hoped his smile had been boyish, or how he wanted something he said to come across one way, but knew it came out with a tone of desperation. I felt this sort of disconnect he had with himself-- an inability to not betray his own feelings, even if he didn't want to admit them to himself either.
I loved Hella and how honest and direct she was, even if I had a sort of "she's got the right spirit" response to a lot of the intelligent things she had to say. Giovanni was quite a lovely character, too, and it was difficult to watch him devolve and experience all that went his way. Honestly, when they first introduced the idea that [note that this 'spoiler' is introduced almost right away]
Regardless, I love how Baldwin explored every theme of internalized hate and the contradictions in behavior that come with the inherent intersectionality of identity. It took me through the motions of loving then hating characters, but really just wanting to see them be better than they are.
His style in this was definitely more accessible than his style in Go Tell It on the Mountain [reasonably], and I honestly enjoyed it quite a bit more just because it was more my speed on that level. Something about the style drew me in this time. I have images of every location in the novel in my mind, and I bet you I could draw a shitty map of their corner of Paris, too. I felt really immersed in the world. I think the style made it easier to feel for the characters-- like I knew them. I'm sure the way it started as Dave telling himself the story of his relationship with Giovanni emphasized it, too. I felt like an uncomfortable friend turned makeshift therapist.
Regardless, I loved the characters [as characters, though maybe not as people] and the writing, and I feel like it managed to tell a lifelong story in only a couple months that felt like only a couple days. It's hard to find stories that know when to start and stop-- that know how to pick a moment to tell a much larger story. Baldwin is quite good at that. I hope to read more of his work at some point, though I think I should take a break for now.
If you have the time and energy, it's definitely worth a read.