A review by grrrlstyle86
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

5.0

Spoiler

Like the 70 other people who put this book on hold before me, I took the book out because of the beautiful movie starring Colin Firth and Matthew Goode. What I did not expect was the rage in the first pages of the book, the rage against a heteronormative complacency and conformity in CA, and the homicidal fantasies (that echo ones I have all the time, and what bliss to read it written by a gay man decades ago...) to the beauty of the male body that even Tom Ford's cinematography and direction could not capture with the intensity that Isherwood did, to the depth of grief of a man trying to make it through one day. Gorgeous evocative writing of a time and place that shaped lives.

SPOILERS!!!! I felt a bit cheated at the ending of the movie, but had no idea it was the ending of the book itself. The gun had to be introduced in the movie version to give the film momentum, and I understand that now, seeing as how the sudden death of the protagonist at the end of the book comes much more out of left field. I was also surprised at the inclusion of a character, Doris, who is there to be death itself, but with the added infidelity to Jim's character, which was much more angelic and idealized in the movie. Interesting to know who was included or excluded and to what purpose.