Dancer from the Dance (Plume)

by Andrew Holleran

[clementine]

Really well-written, but it feels self-indulgent and aimless. It's an interesting slice of gay history: post-Stonewall but pre-AIDS. I'm sure this would have been particularly groundbreaking when it was published. But the characters are not very likeable, there are a lot of racist and misogynistic ideas expressed unchallenged, and the whole thing seems like a pointless exercise in hedonism. This is like... the late 70s gay version of The Great Gatsby in some ways: unhappy privileged people partying and trying unsuccessfully to make meaningful connections, with the requisite tragic party at the end. There were certain scenes or phrases that were interesting, and it didn't feel like a chore to read like some books can, but I come away from it not feeling particularly moved.