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A Comfortable Corner
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My goodness ... substance abuse and extreme co-dependency all wrapped up in one book. If you read this sometime ago - I'm impressed/amazed by your recall of the book's contents DV/Amanda!Your description of the book brings to my mind Lewis deSimone's Chemistry which I had bought over two years ago but have yet to gird up my loins to tackle the grim but no doubt realistic issues regarding loving someone who struggles with mental ill-health and self-destructive behaviour.
And I'd never have guessed the book had such heavy themes from the cover alone. I'd have been expecting something more 'romantic' along the lines of The Front Runner - which wasn't exactly a walk-in-the-park-on-Sunday reading experience either (at least not by the end).
HA! That Front Runner cover is excellent! And yes, it does look a lot like the Comfortable Corner cover (which is the same one I have). Bit of false advertising there, clearly going for a sexy romance vibe with the tight t-shirts and the 'endangered love' tag. Those are both very much of their time, though eh? I guess I read this book 6 years ago? And have never been tempted to read it again. I did wonder recently if the character of the illustrator was based on Maurice Sendak, and if so then I'm even sadder that the protagonist didn't stick with him, since he was a hoot, and a lot more fun than Grumpy Drunk.
I just now realized (duh) that this thread is for books on historical themes, not books that are in themselves historical. I wonder if we should start a section for classics? Even Crap Classics like this? We could even title it Crap Classics!
(And yeah, not to brag, but I do have a freakish memory and tend to recall most everything I read or see/hear in a movie/tv show. It's a curse)
Amanda wrote: "After my rapturous discovery of Gaywyck, I was of course eager to get my hands on the one other book written by the author. My wish was not fulfilled until more than two decades later, and boy was ..."I'm gonna try and "friend" you because, with friends like you, I will be in hog heaven forever!
*Repeating proposal of marriage.* I f*cking heart your reviews......all the hell all over the place.
Amanda wrote: "And yeah, not to brag, but I do have a freakish memory and tend to recall most everything I read or see/hear in a movie/tv show. It's a curse"I think it's wonderful having such recall powers Amanda. I could really do with that given my exams coming up LOL!
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Front Runner (other topics)Chemistry (other topics)
I feel slightly bad saying that (though only slightly). A Comfortable Corner is clearly, painfully personal, the story of a man trying to rescue his lover from the depths of alcoholism, and seeking support from his and his lover's friends and family. This is a wrenching topic and would be a really great basis for a book. This, however, is not the book.
"Preachy" doesn't begin to scratch the surface of just how preachy this book is. Mr. Virga clearly placed enormous value in the traditional 12 Step program, and reading this book is like reading an AA pamphlet over and over and over again. Nearly every character in the book is a current or former alcoholic, which leads to more or less constant discussions of the evils of alcohol and the benefits of being a Friend of Bill W. I tested myself one time, opening the book at random and reading until I came to an AA reference and I never had to read more than two pages.
Chapter Five is good. It's the story of the gay guy's gay dad (an alcoholic) and his meeting and romancing of a younger (alcoholic) fellow in 1950's New York. Of course they drink so they come to a tragic end, but it is interesting to read about their forbidden love. And to learn about the origins of AA. Because I know that's why you read this book.
The saddest part is (SPOILER ALERT) that the protagonist, after a book's worth of agonizing over his lover and girding his loins to leave the alcoholic to his fate (even starting up a romance with a sober children's book illustrator) he decides that the best thing to do is dump the illustrator and continue to be a caretaker to the drunk because surely he'll snap out of it any day now. I'm going to have to assume that this is the decision VV made in his own life. I wonder how it worked out?