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Numbers Paperback – January 13, 1994

by John Rechy (Author)

59 ratings

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Book jacket/back: Johnny Rio, a handsome narcissist but no longer a pretty boy, travels to Los Angeles, the site of past sexual conquest and remembered youthful radiance, in a frenzied attempt to recreate his younger self. Johnny has ten precious days to draw the "numbers," the men who will confirm his desirability, and with the hungry focus of a man on borrowed time, he stalks the dark balconies of all-night theaters, the hot sands of gay beaches, and shady glens of city parks, attempting to attract shadowy sex-hunters in an obcessive battle against the passing of his youth.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grove Press
Publication date

January 13, 1994
Dimensions

5.39 x 0.7 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0802151981
ISBN-13

978-0802151988
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press (January 13, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802151981
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802151988
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.39 x 0.7 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #833 in City Life Fiction (Books)
- #6,132 in LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction (Books)
- #64,910 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
59 ratings

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John Rechy

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Customer reviews

5 star		48%
4 star		25%
3 star		13%
2 star		5%
1 star		8%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Charles S. Houser

A masterpiece on the pain of visibility

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 1, 2015

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I read City of Night years ago (perhaps in the late 70s) and the experience did not make me an instant Rechy fan. In fact, I wrote him off as a narcissist whose narcissism was a mask for his homophobia-fueled self-loathing. I only picked up Numbers now because I learned recently that Rechy based characters in the novel on Christopher Isherwood (Sebastian) and Isherwood's partner, artist Don Bachardy (Tony), and on other prominent gays from the West Coast literary/movie industry set. Rechy's treatment of these "A gays" was--in contrast to his lacerating portrait of the ex-hustler, sex addict embodied in the novel's main character (Johnny Rio), presumably based on Rechy himself--relatively benign, if not outright flattering. So much so that I find it a bit puzzling that the men thus portrayed actually took issue with the author. My guess is that the objection was more to being outed as gay to any recognizable degree than for being depicted as having significant character flaws or moral shortcomings (the novel was, after all, published in 1967, two years before the Stonewall uprising in NYC and the beginning of the modern gay liberation movement). Given my negative reaction to City of Night I was surprised to find myself completely mesmerized by Numbers, Rechy's second novel. If City of Night, with its restless wandering, tips its hat to Kerouac's On the Road, Numbers owes its central metaphor of a painful downwardly spiralling descent to Dante's Divine Comedy. I especially appreciated the novel's sense of time (1967 was the Summer of Love and Rechy references the hippie culture and rock lyrics--tame by today's standards but percolating nonetheless with youthful rebellion and unfettered expectation). Numbers appeared only a few short years after Isherwood's equally harrowing novel of pre-Stonewall gay life, A Single Man. In fact, chapters 10 and 14 of Numbers read like Rechy's response to Isherwood or as an articulation on the grim polarity of options available to gay men before Stonewall--closeted insularity emulating heterosexual marriage or open, public, and dangerous anonymous sex. Given the return to unsafe sexual practices that the gay community seems to be drifting toward today, Rechy's novel may be more relevant than ever. "We are all doomed," his street prophetess continually reminds us in Numbers. I plan to give City of Night another chance and to read much more by this gifted and neglected author.

21 people found this helpful

Cezar Tadeu Bartholomeu

True problems, fragile writing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 23, 1998

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Although it was important to me to read this book - because of its historical value (it depicts an era and a frame of mind typical of the 70's gay before acceptance and stonewall, especially self-acceptance), I didn't think it was well writtten or structured.
The whole story is made of rather unconscious and pattern behaviour; it shows emptiness, self loathing; sex is a game of power and a way to avoid dealing with issues of affection and identity.

It is not sexy at all, although there's a lot of sex happening. The writing is dry and essentially not inclined to describe bodies and acts. It could be described as character/psicological based, but then it is as superficial as the main character is shallow.

It intends/pretends to show body and psyché in paradox, but actually what we get to read is exterior. It's all about the vanity of this character who's obviously the author and his nonstop whining that tries to convince himself of the correctness of his actions and his view of the world - and the main focus is gay promiscity and the macho image (that is seen as the opposit of being gay).

Every idea about love, sex, happiness and pleasure is repeated (or should I say reiterated, or even repelled) without any insight.

However simple, the book describes a struggle every gay man still goes through and is therefore contemporary, although set in a distinct 70's frame and getting obsolete by the minute.

8 people found this helpful

Not as good as City of Night

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 4, 2011

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So I really enjoyed "City of Night" and "Sexual Outlaw", so I was excited to try this book. From the summary, I got the sense that it was about a man growing older and coming to terms with his age and trying to get as much sexual activity in as possible while he was young - something that I have grappled with. However, it just goes on and on in boring detail of all of these boring hook-ups that the author presumably had - it wasn't even good erotica. Pass over this one and try the first two that I mentioned. Those are really quite good and interesting.

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 11, 2018

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Rechy offers a view into worlds that never get discussed. He writes about a time past and yet many of the issues it raises are just as vivid today even though the world has changed. I think LGBTQ people owe it to ourselves to read Rechy to understand and remember.

3 people found this helpful

A most enjoyable read that left me breathless at times with rememberings of times past.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 27, 2014

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John Rechy has a great way of remembering times past, exploring times present, and anticipating times to come. This is a very understandable read that is captivating.

sex in the brambles.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 24, 2018

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a lovely story about a sexy narcissist getting his needs met while dealing with lots of internalized homophobia and shame. a piece of gay history.

2 people found this helpful

Vivid, compassionate story, by someone who knows the setting firsthand

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2015

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I have not been sorry with any Rechy book I have bought. He clearly knows the setting he writes about, and he's got such incredible compassion that you care deeply for everyone he writes about.

I am rereading the book after decades...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 6, 2014

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I thought I remembered the book (I read it in October 1968 as a paperback) but I decided to get a Kindle copy anyway.

Glad to read from Rechy's 'foreword) written in 1984 that this was his 'favorite' as well.

One person found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Pedal finlandais

Amazing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

I didi't believe I would ever find this book, but you had it! Now I'm happy reading it and the enjoining the atmosphere of seventies...

3 people found this helpful

Paul Seguin

classic gay story of a gay hustler..

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 13, 2021

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its john rechys account of a fictional character that is obviously him..It begins in El Paso, texas...THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR KIDS, IT CONTAINS ALOT OF GRAPHIC GAY SEX

Fréddy

Numbers

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on November 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

You like this book you will love Soft Cell Numbers (Single)

Numbers
Who's the person that you woke up next to today
If you were any older
Then you'd know you'd have to pay your way
Well maybe you do already
But you make out they pay you
Did you ask yourself where did love go wrong with you?
Numbers
Don't tell me your name I don't want to know
And don't forget to take all reminders when you go
Good things have to end
And I was never any good at saying goodbye
Because when I say goodbye a silly thing happens
And I always cry

Numbers
You're looking so thin these days are you doing speed?
(No, numbers)
Have you seen your face? Now you're really going to seed
(Playing numbers)
Doing a nine to five in the day
And you never know their names
Because names make a person real
And there's no real people in these games

Numbers
Pass them on and pass them by
Numbers
Never hold a good thing down for long
Numbers
Throw 'em away like Kleenex
Numbers
Pick them up and push them away
Numbers
Oh numbers

Until you wake up one day
And find that you're a number

Body one, body two, body three, body four
Body one, body two, body three, body four
Numbers

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 4, 2016

Verified Purchase

John Rechy is my new Andrew Holleran

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