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Now It's Time To Say Goodbye
Two gay men abandon New York City for a poor, racially polarized village in Kansas, where a cast of characters--including a gay black prostitute, a hermitic white artist, and a budding scholar--responds to a girl's kidnapping and rape.
458 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
5 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Dale Peck
41 books107 followersDale Peck (born 1967 on Long Island, New York) is an American novelist, critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, Sprout, won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's and Young Adult Literature category.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 1, 2013
I read this some years ago. I'd thought Martin and John fairly interesting. This novel wasn't.*. And around this time Peck began writing savage reviews--later collected as Hatchet Jobs--in a manner that seemed to me kind of dully vicious. (I actually enjoy viciousness. And niceness. As long as they're incisive, or challenging, or well-written. I would read a book called "Scalpel Work.". Hatchets aren't known for their precision. Neither is Peck.). Dull is a good qualifier for this novel, too.
This essay by Jen Doll at The Atlantic is excellent, and a useful historical context for the current Goodreads kerfuffle. The essay was prompted by a flare-up at Amazon over a review of a novel by Emily Giffin that received an angry counter-review/attack by the author's husband, which then led to a review arguing that this other reviewer won't read Giffin's books any more because of that attack....and then that "author-based" review got removed from Amazon. Doll also links to a Slate article lamenting the niceness of the new review culture.
The essay examines how social media is altering the landscape of reviews, and makes the point that meanness and "niceness" are a bit different, but not a strange new phenomenon in reviewing, online. Dale Peck, who was a complete dick in his reviews, is merely one example in a long illustrious history of reviewing savagery. What's really new, to my mind, is the monetization of reviews. If Michiko Kakutani or Dale Peck rip you a new one, you could savage others or try to attack the venue and the injustice of major reviewers... but if you're on a website focused on building traffic to drive profitability, you can go after reviewers and play the refs, and that shit gets taken care of.
*Obligatory reference to this book under review.
This essay by Jen Doll at The Atlantic is excellent, and a useful historical context for the current Goodreads kerfuffle. The essay was prompted by a flare-up at Amazon over a review of a novel by Emily Giffin that received an angry counter-review/attack by the author's husband, which then led to a review arguing that this other reviewer won't read Giffin's books any more because of that attack....and then that "author-based" review got removed from Amazon. Doll also links to a Slate article lamenting the niceness of the new review culture.
The essay examines how social media is altering the landscape of reviews, and makes the point that meanness and "niceness" are a bit different, but not a strange new phenomenon in reviewing, online. Dale Peck, who was a complete dick in his reviews, is merely one example in a long illustrious history of reviewing savagery. What's really new, to my mind, is the monetization of reviews. If Michiko Kakutani or Dale Peck rip you a new one, you could savage others or try to attack the venue and the injustice of major reviewers... but if you're on a website focused on building traffic to drive profitability, you can go after reviewers and play the refs, and that shit gets taken care of.
*Obligatory reference to this book under review.
March 26, 2018
I couldn’t finish this one. But I want to give it another go. It’s filled with lurid queens which is my stomping ground certainly. Gee, that was a poor mix of images, wasn’t it? Well, let me just add that I’m pro-queen to the hilt!
March 23, 2008
I don't think there are enough words for me to describe how much I loved this book as I was reading it, and how much I still love it almost ten years later. The tragedy is that currently it is out of print. The book is Gothic, epic, disturbing, erotic, poetic, allegorical and probably one of the best pieces of modern fiction. This definitely isn't a book for the masses, but then again neither is Moby Dick. Not to say that it's on par, but I think it has a grandeur and raw intimacy to it that both share, as well as being uniquely works of American fiction.
July 20, 2024
"'An utterly gripping thriller - crammed full of suspense, Gothic horror and often startling violence...This dark, ferocious book reads like Twin Peaks and Pulp Fiction combined with Days of Thunder and To Kill a Mockingbird, with some bits of Faulkner, Carson McCullers and Flannery O'Connor thrown in for good measure. It also stands as a thoroughly original and persuasive work of art, this immensely talented young writer's most ambitious novel yet...This is what happened one year when two New Yorkers arrives in (a small Kansas town called Galatea) and stumbled into the community's dark history of racism and greed. It is the story of the brutal lynching of an albino black man named Eric Johnson and the young white girl who accused him of rape. And finally it is the story of the inexorable hold that time past exerts over time present and the long shadow cast by ancient hurts, hatreds and secrets.' Michael Kakutani, New York Times Book Review
"'Crackling dialogue and masterly story telling...The action builds to a bravura climax, as heart-stopping as it is unexpected...Peck's brooding portrait of a community in turmoil lingers in the memory...In this darkly brilliant fable, he has illuminated the racial fault-lines that still disfigure small-town America.' Max Davidson, Sunday Telegraph
"'As a result of Peck's gift for fine, almost lyrical detail, Galatea/Galatia and its inhabitants truly live on the page.' Clare Messud, The Times" From the back cover of the 1999 Vintage paperback edition of the book.
I have quoted the above in its entirety because knowing what this novel is, is more important than knowing plot details. There are plenty of reviews here on Goodreads which will give you details of characters and events, and Dale Peck has conjured into existence memorable people, places and events, but concentrating on any of them is to miss so much more that this novel has to offer.
I have always loved Dale Peck's writing and this is one of his finest books - a wonderful grand guignol of a tale but it is so much more than wonderfully, bizarre and compelling narratives, characters and situations that has made me read this novel three times (most recently during lockdown in 2020 - I am writing the review in in 2022) and, with each reading, I find more to think about. A wonderful novel from a very talented writer. I will read it again.
"'Crackling dialogue and masterly story telling...The action builds to a bravura climax, as heart-stopping as it is unexpected...Peck's brooding portrait of a community in turmoil lingers in the memory...In this darkly brilliant fable, he has illuminated the racial fault-lines that still disfigure small-town America.' Max Davidson, Sunday Telegraph
"'As a result of Peck's gift for fine, almost lyrical detail, Galatea/Galatia and its inhabitants truly live on the page.' Clare Messud, The Times" From the back cover of the 1999 Vintage paperback edition of the book.
I have quoted the above in its entirety because knowing what this novel is, is more important than knowing plot details. There are plenty of reviews here on Goodreads which will give you details of characters and events, and Dale Peck has conjured into existence memorable people, places and events, but concentrating on any of them is to miss so much more that this novel has to offer.
I have always loved Dale Peck's writing and this is one of his finest books - a wonderful grand guignol of a tale but it is so much more than wonderfully, bizarre and compelling narratives, characters and situations that has made me read this novel three times (most recently during lockdown in 2020 - I am writing the review in in 2022) and, with each reading, I find more to think about. A wonderful novel from a very talented writer. I will read it again.
May 27, 2008
I still contend that Dale Peck is the best writer working in this century, although he's taken a turn from his fiction and writes primarily essays and reviews for a number of magazines.
This was probably his most universally appealing novel that no one has read, the stories and slow reveals as divulged by various townspeople surrounding the rape of a young woman. Like peeling an avocado, each chapter lays bare the secrets and frailities of the town, its sister city on the other side of the tracks and the citizens.
This was probably his most universally appealing novel that no one has read, the stories and slow reveals as divulged by various townspeople surrounding the rape of a young woman. Like peeling an avocado, each chapter lays bare the secrets and frailities of the town, its sister city on the other side of the tracks and the citizens.
September 23, 2018
Ratings (1 to 5)
Writing: 4
Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Emotional impact: 4
Overall rating: 4.5
Writing: 4
Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Emotional impact: 4
Overall rating: 4.5
November 19, 2010
Dale Peck is clearly a talented writer and storyteller. As an aspiring writer myself, I can certainly appreciate the deft with which this novel painted a strikingly vivid portrait of two remote, racially divided, fictional Kansas towns, through the alternating first-person accounts of their various inhabitants. And yet, I can't say I enjoyed reading this book.
To say "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye" was an "upsetting story" is an understatement. The two towns where the story takes place both seem to be covered in a thick layer of grime and filth that pervades the entire novel. Many of the descriptions of events that take place during the story, and the people to whom they happen, are aggressively grotesque. The characters are almost universally unlikeable. Many of the passages in the novel are meandering and overly florid, such that I found my eyes glazing over multiple times, while reading.
The novel's ending, while wholly appropriate and fitting for the story being told, was so disturbing to me, that it left me feeling physically nauseous, and in desperate need of a shower. Then again, I suspect that some of my strong reaction to this novel was precisely the author's intention. So, while I commend the author for drafting an ambitious and memorable tale, I can't say I would recommend this book, due to the negative effect it had on me personally.
To say "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye" was an "upsetting story" is an understatement. The two towns where the story takes place both seem to be covered in a thick layer of grime and filth that pervades the entire novel. Many of the descriptions of events that take place during the story, and the people to whom they happen, are aggressively grotesque. The characters are almost universally unlikeable. Many of the passages in the novel are meandering and overly florid, such that I found my eyes glazing over multiple times, while reading.
The novel's ending, while wholly appropriate and fitting for the story being told, was so disturbing to me, that it left me feeling physically nauseous, and in desperate need of a shower. Then again, I suspect that some of my strong reaction to this novel was precisely the author's intention. So, while I commend the author for drafting an ambitious and memorable tale, I can't say I would recommend this book, due to the negative effect it had on me personally.
June 12, 2011
Although there were elements of this book I really didn't like, there was so much, much more that I loved. Wonderful characterisation, raw emotion, unusual storytelling and different perspectives.
There were some questions left unanswered at the end, but also some that had initially seemed important, but became irrelevent. I think that this is a book that improves even more on second and third reads.
There were some questions left unanswered at the end, but also some that had initially seemed important, but became irrelevent. I think that this is a book that improves even more on second and third reads.
April 6, 2023
Afflicted by a preposterously huge population of gay characters who all live in a tiny Kansas town. Set in a fictional version of the historically black town, Nicodemus, which was settled by freed slaves in the mid-19th century. Characters are psychologically impenetrable and bereft of any believable motivation. Told in As I Lay Dying fashion, alternating characters' viewpoints.
May 12, 2020
Struggled with this one, I know I probably didn't get the most from this book as I could tell there was a lot of deep meaning within it but I found it fairly hard going and not an enjoyable read, but then with the subject matter that was probably to be expected.
April 24, 2025
This is a really awful and utterly tedious book, with very boring writing and very unlikeable strange characters. I just couldn't make sense of the story , if there was one, as the writing is so inexplicable. What a rubbish book. It's one of the worst books I've ever tried to read.
July 16, 2022
I think I was too young and distracted to appreciate this book, but at the time I was just so confused about what was going on. Like his other book, it would be nice to try Dale Peck again.
April 18, 2012
For many years after I read this book I thought I had made it up. I couldn't remember the title or the author or even what it looked like. Now that I've found it again I see if everywhere I go.
It is exactly what it's billed as, a dark gay southern Gothic. There's a mystery at the heart of it and I remember a deception of the reader in regards to the two main characters, but not a lot else. The book itself is written very lushly, with great attention to detail and characters. I found myself less interested in the plot and more interested in inhabiting the world for a short while.
It's a bit dark to be a beach book but just about right for a park bench. There isn't anything incredibly remarkable about it but I enjoyed it and the tone is relatively unique, especially in the gay genre.
It is exactly what it's billed as, a dark gay southern Gothic. There's a mystery at the heart of it and I remember a deception of the reader in regards to the two main characters, but not a lot else. The book itself is written very lushly, with great attention to detail and characters. I found myself less interested in the plot and more interested in inhabiting the world for a short while.
It's a bit dark to be a beach book but just about right for a park bench. There isn't anything incredibly remarkable about it but I enjoyed it and the tone is relatively unique, especially in the gay genre.
December 4, 2007
dale peck is that guy who wrote all those nasty reviews of more famous writers. even they had to admit his fiction is pretty dazzling, if underappreciated. lots of gorgeously depicted gay sex and violence in this riveting book.
June 21, 2010
Huiveringwekkend. Sommige stukken zijn ronduit ranzig, maar hij blijft intrigeren. Zijn hoofdpersonen zijn heel echt: hun motieven zijn niet al te transparant.
De beschrijving van de sociale ontwikkelingen zijn beklemmend en levensecht.
Wel een behoorlijk dikke pil.
De beschrijving van de sociale ontwikkelingen zijn beklemmend en levensecht.
Wel een behoorlijk dikke pil.
November 30, 2007
I'm almost certain that this is my second favorite book ever.
Want to read
January 3, 2008I just picked this one up on accident today, so far I'm loving it! Great narrator, and my hardback version has a lovely photo on the front, hope the prose will be equally lovely and unusual.
August 20, 2008
This book is AWESOME. One of my favourites ever!!!!
February 27, 2012
I stopped after about 40 pages. The writing was labored and hard to enjoy. Characters were not that interesting.
January 14, 2017
one of the few books i have reead more than once. loved it every time. simly perfect
Fifth time reading it,finally understood it. Beautifully horrible and horribly beautiful
Perfect
Fifth time reading it,finally understood it. Beautifully horrible and horribly beautiful
Perfect
October 7, 2012
Weird. If you are squeamish or homophobic, this one is not for you. I really like the author's style and voice.
August 7, 2016
Weird book. Wouldn't recommend it.
May 31, 2017
Nothing else like it in the world.
Want to read
November 9, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14416551
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14416551
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews