Michael Cunningham
1990
Around 345 pages
Having enjoyed The Hours, I was interested in checking out the rest of Michael Cunningham's work. He reminds me of John Irving, with his talent for creating rich characters who experience really strange turns in life. Although if I had to choose between the two, Irving still comes out on top.
Bobby and Jonathan become friends and experiment sexually when they are younger. This List is really leading me to believe that every man's adolescence was peppered with homoerotic experiences, whether or not they choose to pursue those encounters in their adult life. My formative years were not nearly that interesting. In any case, Bobby lost his family, so Jonathan's parents take him in, and we get point of view chapters from the boys, Jonathan's mother, and Clare, the woman they both become involved with.
Jonathan's mother points out that every generation thinks the world is going to end, but it never does. These characters really did seem to make decisions based on some unnamed dread, and I enjoyed exploring their complexities. This was also an interesting time in history to examine. I really liked Clare's disappointed retelling of her experience in Woodstock. It was just a music festival after all.
So a really good novel. I felt like the ending was a bit cliche, but still worth a read.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
An excerpt was published in The New Yorker, chosen for Best American Short Stories 1989.
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