Customer Reviews

Brian in Three Seasons

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Nice novel-had a satisfying feel at the end. I liked that the main character cobbled together a living. Lots of people put together a life in odd or disparate ways but you don't often find them in novels. I found this novel a convincing evocation of a certain kind of urban life.

A beautiful and compelling novel

This is a beautiful book whose main character, Brian, has such a convincing and compelling voice that I felt I could trust myself in his hands. Even though his life is not "together" by conventional standards, there is a quiet authority about him that

made me hope his changing circumstances would allow him to fully

claim his life. The novel's language is direct and elegant. Brian's conflicts as a gay man are authentic and there is no stereotyping going on here. This book doesn't make a lot of noise to attract attention to itself, which is one of the many reasons why it deserves attention. It is simple, fine, and deeply moving.

You can tell that the author really inhabited her main character's head. She doesn't let him slip away once. Brian Moss may not be an "impressive person" on the outside, but he is on the inside, where it counts, and Grossman manages to convince us of this. I don't think Brian struggled any more or less with being gay than most of us, but it was interesting to see how his conflict held him back and, I think, finally pushed him forward. This is not "gay lit" in capital letters. It's a very good character study (actually more than one character). Just plain old lit.

Grossman's attempt to portray a gay man, Brian Moss is a competently crafted, but unsatisfying story. Familial emotions just don't ring true: Brian's relationships with his father and his twin sister follow the formula of a trained writer, but do not evoke a sense of sympathy, empathy, or truth. The reconciliation scene is not quite credible, for example. The relationship scenes reflect standard assumptions and prejudices about gay men. The technical merits (writing and plot development) deliver an ending fit for a happy movie -- all is well. Hmmm, not with this mediocre novel.

Patricia Grossman is a terrific writer. I've read two previous novels (all have been published with small presses, which may mean they don't get the kind of review attention they deserve), and find her writing graceful, perceptive, moving, and funny. BRIAN IN THREE SEASONS may be her best yet. To begin with, it's impressive how well the author, a woman, writes inside the head of her main character, a gay man. But while she successfully evokes an individual, idiosyncratic character in a distinctive environment--Manhattan, and specifically gay Manhattan, in the 1990s--the novel's themes are universal. Without being the least bit smarmy, the story is inspiring, as we follow Brian from a state of physical, emotional, and professional intertia through a series of quiet transformations that will help him reach his full potential in love and work. Everyone who has ever felt "stuck" in their lives will relate to the ideas and feelings Grossman explores here, and care about these characters. Best of all, she manages to be "deep" without being "heavy." The supporting characters are quirky (the uptight sister and teenaged niece are especially well drawn), the situations are often funny, and novel is a pleasure to read.