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A review by lizaroo71
The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara
5.0
I don't even know where to begin in my review of this one. The world Cassara has created is just mind-blowingly good. This takes place in New York during the 1980's. Our narrators are all boys that have been marginalized in their own homes and find their way to the streets. Each story is unique yet there is a common thread of displacement and misunderstanding.
Once the boys make a home for themselves in the houses that host balls that gave these men a place to express themselves, everything seems to be enough -- for a while.
I felt dropped into the world Cassara creates and I found myself tearing up and laughing at the same time. He creates characters that are flawed yet lovable. I wanted to reach into the pages and give everyone a hug. Give everyone a chance.
This spoke to me in a way that a book hasn't in a while. I grew up in the eighties. I remember the dawn of AIDS and how people were so afraid of what they didn't understand. I saw "Paris is Burning" which highlights this movement of the dance and movement of the houses created in New York during this time period. Most of these women are gone now, but Cassara keeps them alive through a riveting read.
Once the boys make a home for themselves in the houses that host balls that gave these men a place to express themselves, everything seems to be enough -- for a while.
I felt dropped into the world Cassara creates and I found myself tearing up and laughing at the same time. He creates characters that are flawed yet lovable. I wanted to reach into the pages and give everyone a hug. Give everyone a chance.
This spoke to me in a way that a book hasn't in a while. I grew up in the eighties. I remember the dawn of AIDS and how people were so afraid of what they didn't understand. I saw "Paris is Burning" which highlights this movement of the dance and movement of the houses created in New York during this time period. Most of these women are gone now, but Cassara keeps them alive through a riveting read.