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dusty_folds 's review for:
Faggots
by Larry Kramer
The conflicting feelings I have about this book mirror the conflicting feelings I have about its author. Larry Kramer has always been "too much" for me, but I have appreciated all the work he has done to advance LGBT+ rights in America. I found this book to be "too much," but I can appreciate its place in the history of gay literature. Kramer wrote about the true nature of gay life in New York at a time when no one else was writing such things, and he was attacked for his portrayal. This novel definitely deserves its place in the canon, but that doesn't mean that you have to like it.
The narration is incredibly confusing. I would advise you to read it aloud or listen to an audio book version because trying to read the text to yourself can be incredibly difficult (at least to me). Kramer's writing style is experimental, I suppose, but if you hear the words out loud, then you can appreciate them much more. The subject matter is risque to say the least. It is definitely the most sexually graphic novel I have ever read. I was shocked initially but became less so as the novel progressed, which is perhaps the point of the story. This society that seems shocking upon first introduction can become commonplace the more one looks at it.
So, why the low rating? Because it is really not a book for me. I don't really care for sexually graphic or drug-focused novels. Additionally, the cast of characters was so immense that you pretty much need a notebook to keep track of everyone. Unfortunately, the characterizations were not enough to help me remember who each person was. That problem was exacerbated by the fact that many of them would be off stage for many pages. As I mentioned, the writing style can also be complicated and takes so effort, but I did not feel the effort was really worth it. Again, I think this book has a special place in gay literature and in the history of the gay rights movement, but it is not a book that I will revisit any time soon.
The narration is incredibly confusing. I would advise you to read it aloud or listen to an audio book version because trying to read the text to yourself can be incredibly difficult (at least to me). Kramer's writing style is experimental, I suppose, but if you hear the words out loud, then you can appreciate them much more. The subject matter is risque to say the least. It is definitely the most sexually graphic novel I have ever read. I was shocked initially but became less so as the novel progressed, which is perhaps the point of the story. This society that seems shocking upon first introduction can become commonplace the more one looks at it.
So, why the low rating? Because it is really not a book for me. I don't really care for sexually graphic or drug-focused novels. Additionally, the cast of characters was so immense that you pretty much need a notebook to keep track of everyone. Unfortunately, the characterizations were not enough to help me remember who each person was. That problem was exacerbated by the fact that many of them would be off stage for many pages. As I mentioned, the writing style can also be complicated and takes so effort, but I did not feel the effort was really worth it. Again, I think this book has a special place in gay literature and in the history of the gay rights movement, but it is not a book that I will revisit any time soon.