Customer Reviews

The Book of Lies

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This ambitious novel by Picano turns out to be overly so and the result is a tangled web. The question is: Will the reader persevere to the end and thus be able to disentangle it? It can be done, but the going is tough at times and the "payoff" is questionable, though Picano pulls off one major surprise at the end, and some minor ones along the way. Even for those who have most assiduously read the work of the authors of the Violet Quill, this is not an easy --nor short-- novel. It's hard enough to keep the authors (more of whom are dead than alive) straight (I really didn't mean a pun), not to mention their partners/boyfriends and/or literary executors. Although the point is by no means to identify them all with real-life counterparts (though 3 are easily enough identified for those who know about the authors and their works, and a good guess can be made about at least one other), most of the authors never really stand out and it's hard to care about some of them. Overall, this novel probably does give a good general picture of the personal and writing life these men led, but something -maybe a sense of "aliveness"-- seems missing. There are a few juicy tidbits, real or imagined, along the way, but don't read the novel for this reason. Much more interesting is the young man, Ross Ohrenstedt, who's writing his Ph.D. dissertation on these authors, and the students he teaches, but those readers not in academia may not appreciate some of the details, and those in academia will probably find that Picano doesn't have a 100% accurate take on the inner workings of academia. There's also a bit of mystery regarding an unidentified ms, along the general lines of Henry James' THE ASPERN PAPERS, which may pull in a few readers interested in this very particular type of mystery about literature, though even here I found the "payoff" again dubious. I've admired many of Picano's novels and this effort is admirable, but as much as I wanted to love this novel, I had to conclude he's written a half-dozen better ones. This novel can be passably satisfying, but only for the most fanatic readers of Picano and the others that comprised the Violet Quill.

For readers of the Violet Quill, this book will hold your interest. Although you may be distracted by trying to figure out who all the characters may or may not be. There is a heavy dose of academic/publishing world insider trivia that seems a bit unnecessary. Otherwise, it's an interesting read. Still, I pine for the nostalgia of The Men Who Loved Me.

Ross Ohrenstedt is a literary scholar whose interest in the Purple Circle (fictionalization of Picano's Violet Quill Club) borders on obsession. He methodically searches out the widowers of the group's members and the few members who remain alive in search of a mysterious man who was rumored to be associated with the group. Amidst his literary finds we are given glimpses of his personal life, aspirations as a scholar and his ambiguous sexuality. This is a book of mysteries layered upon mysteries and the reader ultimately has to draw his own conclusions about what actually happened within this group. The lush prose and biting dialogue lead to a triumphant climax where the ground beneath your feet is obliterated.

The mysteries of this book are only a costume for the real problems it is working to unravel. It is a quest to understand the male identity and how we negotiate sexual relations. Its most pressing issue probes the meaning of a self-defined gay literature which the group claims didn't exist before they established it. The need for a category of gay literature extends to sociological issues, but the primary focus of this novel is to explore the impact of this literature upon the general population. By unearthing the multifaceted expressions of homosexuality it celebrates both love and the problems which inspire the need for a defined gay "community". Ross's primary search is for scholarly achievement, but his desire is to find an understanding of himself which can encompass a fluid sexuality. This is an involving tale and a deep meditation on gay writing itself.

Forgive us for not respecting history, Mr Picano. At least reading the other reviews of THE BOOK OF LIES would indicate that this tome of thinly disguised literary history would seem to indicate that Picano has failed to meet his own high standard. Read this book again, as an insight into why the Violet Quill Club remains important in American genre writing, accept the sometimes repetitious meanderings of his folk and their adventures. Once past the quibbling about the content, sit back and revel in the sheer beauty of Picano's prose. He is a wordsmith who can talk about most any subject and make it better than many others can even suppose. Again, go back again.

Felice Picano's newest novel "The Book of Lies" is very different from his last work, "Like People in History," but don't let that stop you from picking it up... this story will grab you just the same. It begins unassumingly enough as graduate student Ross Ohrenstedt is tasked with cataloging the writings of Damon Von Slyke, a member of the Purple Circle, a ground-breaking group of gay writers who developed a new genre of literature in the 60s, 70s and 80s. As Ohrenstedt sorts through Von Slyke's many manuscripts and letters, he wonders if he'll uncover a previously unknown and unpublished work, perhaps even a masterpiece, a finding that would surely secure his own place in Purple Circle academic studies. You won't be surprised when Ohrenstedt does, in fact, discover a story fragment no one has seen before, but... Picano's story is not a simple one, and rather than being climactic, the discovery is merely the jumping-off point of a literary investigation that will not only challenge Ohrenstedt's understanding of the Purple Circle writers and their work, but his awareness of both academic and personal intrigue and betrayal.

You'll find yourself quickly drawn into the investigation as Ohrenstedt interviews surviving members and intimates of the Purple Circle and slowly begins to realize that the story fragment he found in Von Slyke's collection is part of a much larger work, one whose author seems to have touched the lives of every single Purple Circle writer. But why are the Purple Circle writers holding out on him? Who was this mystery author, what was his relationship to the Purples, and why has no Purple Circle academic ever seen or heard of him? Through phone calls, correspondence and visits, Ohrenstedt gains the confidence of the surviving Purples and is flattered by both their acceptance of him and their willingness to share intimate details of their lives, but still... he has the feeling that something is amiss, that he is still not being told the whole truth about the writing fragments and their enigmatic author. As his investigation takes twist after unexpected twist, you'll share Ohrenstedt's excitement, unease and confusion, and most importantly, his continued determination to discover the truth despite everyone around him trying to lead him down the garden path. All is revealed at last in what can only be described as a truly stunning conclusion, but... you'll just have to read the novel yourself to find out what happens. All I'll say is that thanks to Picano's skill, you'll never see it coming, and as you finally put the book down, you'll have a better understanding of the concepts of deception and betrayal... and an awareness that the academic life is not without its own substantial dangers.

As much as I enjoyed reading "The Book of Lies," I do have to say that it is not without some minor flaws. Nearly every one of the novel's characters are integral to the story, but some are simply not fleshed out beyond the bare minimum needed to serve their functions, which left me with a few cases of: "oh, so that's why that character was in there" once I'd finished reading the book. I would like to have seen these minor characters depicted as carefully as the Purple Circle writers themselves. I also found that when the Purple Circle writers and their intimates were describing their memories of past events (recollections which were key to Ohrenstedt's investigation), they all spoke in a similar voice, recalling physical and emotional details in almost the same way. I felt that during these "memory" sequences, I was hearing Picano's voice rather than the voices of the characters who were speaking, which pulled me away from the story from time to time; however, in all other ways, the major characters in this novel were well crafted and unique, each having his (or her) own voice and style. As I mentioned, I feel these to be very minor flaws, ones that won't in any way diminish your enjoyment of this novel. I believe that if you read "The Book of Lies," you will share my opinion that Felice Picano, like the more successful "Purple Circle" writers in his novel, continues to be an important figure in gay literature, a writer whose work not only engages and entertains, but repeatedly defines and redefines the genre.

After browsing the other reviews, I had to add my two cents worth. I found this to be a great read: just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages, nice literary allusions ( to "The Aspern Papers" and to other Violet Quill writers), and a wicked satire of late 20th century academic in-fighting. And yes, I was surprised at the ending.

Part literary mystery, part history lesson, Felice Picano's The Book of Lies, turned out to be a surprisingly engrossing read. Ross Ohrenstedt is a young, ambitious academic, teaching a summer literature course at UCLA while cataloging the papers and manuscripts of famous Purple Circle author, Damon Van Slyke. Van Slyke and his group of writer friends were the founders of modern gay literature, and, as such, subjects of much study. While sorting the papers, Ross runs across a mysterious manuscript written by an unknown writer. He sees an opportunity to make his name with his doctoral thesis, and begins to investigate the manuscript. As he talks to the surviving Purple Circle authors and the others' survivors, he finds more tantalizing fragments that seem to point to one man, forgotten by history, who may have been intimately linked to every Circle member. Who was that man? And who is attempting to keep Ross from finding the truth?

Picano, author of 20 books, is in reality one of the founding members of modern gay literature. He was one of the members of the real-life gay literary salon, the Lavender Quill, a group that includes Andrew Holleran, Robert Ferro, Edmund White, and George Whitmore. Much of The Book of Lies was roughly based on his experiences in the Lavender Quill. Picano is a master at creating fascinating characters. Even secondary characters come complete with richly-detailed histories. His attention to detail serves especially well in recreating the gay society of the 60's and 70's in which members of the fictional Purple Circle (and assumedly, the real members of the Lavender Quill) lived and moved. Full of wit and humor, the dark tone of the ending caught me by surprise and, I have to admit, disappointed me somewhat. While it seemed to come from nowhere, he has laid the groundwork for his shocking dénouement all along if you know what to look for. Despite feeling somewhat cheated by the ending, I still admire the whole of the book and how masterfully Picano weaves the pieces together. He uses words powerfully, and I was especially moved by a section in a later chapter where one of the characters speaks with great eloquence about loss. I highly recommend this book.

Ross Ohrenstadt is a graduate student going to UCLA to teach a summer course in gay literature and assist Professor Damon von Slyke is putting together research on the Purple Circle, a group of gay writers who fictionally influenced gay literature of the 70's and 80's. On the way Ross finds pieces of literature which seems to have been written by someone else. He hopes to discover the author and make a significant contribution to this study, thereby receiving his PHD and a position. The title of the novel should warn readers about what to believe. Picano develops some nice plot twists and keeps the pacing fast enough so the reader won't develop boredom concerning the topic. However, the ending is not satisfactory. First of all, one of the final scenes leaves the reader wondering what actually happened and secondly the denouement calls for more explanation. While everyone sort of lives happily ever after, at least as happily as this group of characters could live, one may wonder why one read this book.

Ross Ohrenstedt finds himself playing literary detective when he finds an unknown document among those by famous author Damon Von Slyke, one of the Purple Circle. As he sifts through the information to find the author of the unknown piece, he finds himself in an ever-tightening web of mystery that threatens to snap before he can find out whether an unknown writer heavily influenced the major works of the Purple Circle. Drawing from his history with the Violet Quill, Picano has woven a clever and amazing book that soars as much as it bewilders the reader. The mesmerizing plot drew me further and further into the book, and yet the ending seemed out of place, leaving me unfulfilled. I love the parts about the fictional authors and history especially. This book is most recommended to anyone interested in gay literature's history (even though it's not non-fiction), but be warned that the title is "The Book of Lies", and it lives up to it.

I have just finished reading this book and found it - well, unreal in a sense. As other reviewers have noted, keeping abreast of the different characters and their literary offerings involves some mental agility, but that is not my problem with this novel. Rather it's the fact that almost all the Purple Circle writers are variously described as beautiful demi-gods in their younger years which to me lends a sense of unreality to the whole novel, it becomes dull, when you read about yet another character, who is beautiful and who in the heady days of their youth while living in Manhattan, could 'score' with whoever they wished. A little more reality perhaps would lend the novel, and indeed Like People in History, a little more relevance and credibility I think. It's an interesting book, but I find many of the reviews in the wider media somewhat over exuberant.