A review by foggy_rosamund
The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst

2.0

In five sections, this book spans from 1940 to the modern day. David "Drum" Sparsholt attends Oxford for one term before joining the army. During this term, several young men fall in love with him, as he is a rower and very fit and attractive. The first section of the book would work independently of the rest of the novel, and is a keenly observed description of the effect Sparsholt has on the people around him, as well as the disruption and social confusion of WW2. The rest of the book focuses on Sparsholt's son, Johnny, and is an exploration of the changes in how society has regarded gay men from 1952 to now. These sections are not so successful -- the themes and moods seem to wander, the characters are not always clear, and there is little narrative drive. Hollinghurst constructs prose beautifully and this keeps the novel afloat, but the story itself feel adrift and often dull.