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Jack Holmes and His Friend
Jack Holmes and Will Wright arrive in New York in the calm before the storm of the 1960s. Coworkers at a cultural journal, they soon become good friends. Jack even introduces Will to the woman he will marry. But their friendship is complicated: Jack is also in love with Will. Troubled by his subversive longings, Jack sees a psychiatrist and dates a few women, while also pursuing short-lived liaisons with other men. But in the two decades of their friendship, from the first stirrings of gay liberation through the catastrophe of AIDS, Jack remains devoted to Will. And as Will embraces his heterosexual sensuality, nearly destroying his marriage, the two men share a newfound libertinism in a city that is itself embracing its freedom.
Moving among beautifully delineated characters in a variety of social milieus, Edmund White brings narrative daring and an exquisite sense of life's submerged drama to this masterful exploration of friendship, sexuality, and sensibility during a watershed moment in history.
Moving among beautifully delineated characters in a variety of social milieus, Edmund White brings narrative daring and an exquisite sense of life's submerged drama to this masterful exploration of friendship, sexuality, and sensibility during a watershed moment in history.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
37 people are currently reading
1127 people want to read
About the author
Edmund White
139 books909 followersEdmund Valentine White III was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. He was the recipient of Lambda Literary's Visionary Award, the National Book Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction. France made him Chevalier (and later Officier) de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1993.
White was known as a groundbreaking writer of gay literature and a major influence on gay American literature and has been called "the first major queer novelist to champion a new generation of writers."
White was known as a groundbreaking writer of gay literature and a major influence on gay American literature and has been called "the first major queer novelist to champion a new generation of writers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
May 19, 2013
This was a real coup. I found it in the laundry room and, recognizing Edmund White as a literary lion, I scooped it up. I was immediately captivated by the Mad Men setting and Jack Holmes' quest to figure out what kind of life he wanted. His story is complicated by his grudging acceptance of his homosexuality and his falling in love with Will, an aspiring novelist who happens to be straight. The plot is driven by their on again/off again friendship as they navigate through monogamy, promiscuity, fatherhood and infidelity and ultimately conclude that sometimes intimacy has little to do with sexual attraction. Taking us from the turbulent 60's through the sobering reality of AIDS in the 80's, White provides graphic descriptions of both gay and straight sex, but his overriding concern is the evolution of an enduring friendship between average guys who learn to love without lust.
June 24, 2012
The loneliest I ever felt - and there is a big difference between being lonely and being alone - is when i moved to Washington D.C. for my first job after college.
Except for one family friend, I didnt' know anyone there.
It was a changing point in my life because it tested me in many ways. It tested me on how to be self sufficient when no one is around to help, it tested me on how to make friends even when most people you met seemed to have an established core group already, and it tested me on how to deal with abusive bosses.
I saw the effects of a roommate who got gay bashed a couple blocks from where we lived, how complete strangers starting off their careers right after college and living on minimal income in the slumlord controlled red-brick townhouse we called home in Dupont Circle created a hodge-podge community, how to differentiate bars for fun and bars for alcoholics (look for liquor served in a separate glass to mix in later, all to prevent complaints the drink is watered down), and learned how to walk home alone on city streets late at night without getting mugged.
All of these memories flooded back from 20 years ago when reading Jack Holmes and His Friend.
Edmund White is able to make his characters feel hermetically sealed off from those around them even when surrounded by thousands if not millions of people in our urban metropolises.
And that is the catch in feeling lonely. You can be surrounded by many and even living with many, yet still feel so closed off from others.
Another reason I enjoyed this book is the historical perspective he put gay life in the 60s, 70s and 80s (but mostly 60s). Whereas the TV show "The Band Played On" showcased how AIDS ravaged the gay community in the early 80s, White's portrayal of gay life focuses on the 60s and 70s before this plague alters how the gay community interacts. White does touch upon the AIDS epidemic near the end of the book specifically in Manhattan.
Although this is a work of fiction I felt White captured what it might have been like to prowl Manhattan in search of jobs, sex, and companionship. Not that I grew up then but I am reading at the same time Scotty Bowers' non-fiction book "Full Service" that talks about the crackdown of gay bars and life by politicians and the police in the 50s and 60s.
I never understood the reason to "cruise" outdoors with the ubiquity of gay bars and online sites in today's world. But as White captures in his book, if there isn't that outlet as there were during Jack Holmes' time, and you could get arrested for just being gay, you could see how men would meet in the streets, wharfs and woods.
We get to see the straight perspective of living back then in TV shows like Mad Men. And Edmund White is able to do so in his book "Jack Holmes".
Additionally, it's nice to see the "gay guy with straight guy friend" perspective which is so unique from all the cliche "Will & Grace" storylines of "gay guy with gal pal" relationships.
There were times when I wanted to stop reading the book entirely because I didn't know where it was going and I lost interest. That happened 2-3 times. But I'd slog through 15 more pages and then get captivated by it again.
Although I wouldn't want to relive that period of time, D.C. is truly a wondrous city with an incredible amount of things to do and see. Having always lived in the shadows of Manhattan (having grown up 1 hour away in Connecticut), I was surprised that other cities could equal it in culture, arts, and passion for a cause (D.C. being a political town).
And even though I was underpaid, and struggled to make personal connections, I grew up quickly.
Those pivotal times in a persons life and career define who they are. It put me on a better path and eventually lead me to what I am and do now (ala Jack Holmes).
And oddly enough, the one person I knew in D.C. when I moved there is relocating to my new hometown of Los Angeles next month. To a city that sings the Sirens' call of dreams - to either be dashed or made.
Except for one family friend, I didnt' know anyone there.
It was a changing point in my life because it tested me in many ways. It tested me on how to be self sufficient when no one is around to help, it tested me on how to make friends even when most people you met seemed to have an established core group already, and it tested me on how to deal with abusive bosses.
I saw the effects of a roommate who got gay bashed a couple blocks from where we lived, how complete strangers starting off their careers right after college and living on minimal income in the slumlord controlled red-brick townhouse we called home in Dupont Circle created a hodge-podge community, how to differentiate bars for fun and bars for alcoholics (look for liquor served in a separate glass to mix in later, all to prevent complaints the drink is watered down), and learned how to walk home alone on city streets late at night without getting mugged.
All of these memories flooded back from 20 years ago when reading Jack Holmes and His Friend.
Edmund White is able to make his characters feel hermetically sealed off from those around them even when surrounded by thousands if not millions of people in our urban metropolises.
And that is the catch in feeling lonely. You can be surrounded by many and even living with many, yet still feel so closed off from others.
Another reason I enjoyed this book is the historical perspective he put gay life in the 60s, 70s and 80s (but mostly 60s). Whereas the TV show "The Band Played On" showcased how AIDS ravaged the gay community in the early 80s, White's portrayal of gay life focuses on the 60s and 70s before this plague alters how the gay community interacts. White does touch upon the AIDS epidemic near the end of the book specifically in Manhattan.
Although this is a work of fiction I felt White captured what it might have been like to prowl Manhattan in search of jobs, sex, and companionship. Not that I grew up then but I am reading at the same time Scotty Bowers' non-fiction book "Full Service" that talks about the crackdown of gay bars and life by politicians and the police in the 50s and 60s.
I never understood the reason to "cruise" outdoors with the ubiquity of gay bars and online sites in today's world. But as White captures in his book, if there isn't that outlet as there were during Jack Holmes' time, and you could get arrested for just being gay, you could see how men would meet in the streets, wharfs and woods.
We get to see the straight perspective of living back then in TV shows like Mad Men. And Edmund White is able to do so in his book "Jack Holmes".
Additionally, it's nice to see the "gay guy with straight guy friend" perspective which is so unique from all the cliche "Will & Grace" storylines of "gay guy with gal pal" relationships.
There were times when I wanted to stop reading the book entirely because I didn't know where it was going and I lost interest. That happened 2-3 times. But I'd slog through 15 more pages and then get captivated by it again.
Although I wouldn't want to relive that period of time, D.C. is truly a wondrous city with an incredible amount of things to do and see. Having always lived in the shadows of Manhattan (having grown up 1 hour away in Connecticut), I was surprised that other cities could equal it in culture, arts, and passion for a cause (D.C. being a political town).
And even though I was underpaid, and struggled to make personal connections, I grew up quickly.
Those pivotal times in a persons life and career define who they are. It put me on a better path and eventually lead me to what I am and do now (ala Jack Holmes).
And oddly enough, the one person I knew in D.C. when I moved there is relocating to my new hometown of Los Angeles next month. To a city that sings the Sirens' call of dreams - to either be dashed or made.
March 11, 2012
Edmund White can be an elegant writer. But this book is not. Essentially the story of two friends --- Jack Holmes and Will Wright --who come to New York in the 1960's, the novel seems to drift along, like the two guys. Jack Holmes writes for a newsmagazine. He has a passion for Will that's talked about and talked about. Nothing happens. He also has a large penis, which White mentions almost every other page. (OK. I'm exaggerating, but not by much). What's the point? I don't know. Will, a failed novelist, writes for various companies. Both these fellows don't work very hsrd. Jack lives in a penthouse. Will lives with his wealthy wife and two kids in Larchmont. He screws around a lot. He treats his wife and kids horribly. The fact that New York is crime-ridden and teetering on the edge in the 1970s is barely mentioned. Everyone glides between the East Side and Greenwich Village.(Forget the West Side) Noone has money problems; in fact, everyone is improbably affluent.
After awhile, the characters in the book -- with the exception of Will's wife -- turn not only irritating but unpleasant. And quite shallow If you met these people, you'd want to avoid them. I hung around to see how it would end. Well, the novel ends abruptly and quite unbelievably. By the way, the characters speak in a faux Noel Coward way. But without the wit. If there was only some wit in this novel.
January 15, 2018
I was not aware of this book or author until a few weeks ago. I, by chance, came across a John Irving interview in which he recommended a few novels — Jack Holmes and His Friend among them. I decided to take a chance.
White’s narrative of unrequited love (of the gay, straight and intersectional varieties) and coming of age in the Big Apple is as poignant and elegant as any I’ve read; Jack and Will’s friendship is one of real density and weight, and is sure to break the reader’s heart before putting it back together again.
White seems to have a talent for writing the electricity that exists in human contact — contact between males, especially. These characters, perilously perched on the precipice of chaos, are real and whole and angst-ridden and filled with real desires for real love, real safety. This one hurt, as it spoke to where I’m at now.
I already have several of White’s earlier novels coming in the mail and will read them soon.
White’s narrative of unrequited love (of the gay, straight and intersectional varieties) and coming of age in the Big Apple is as poignant and elegant as any I’ve read; Jack and Will’s friendship is one of real density and weight, and is sure to break the reader’s heart before putting it back together again.
White seems to have a talent for writing the electricity that exists in human contact — contact between males, especially. These characters, perilously perched on the precipice of chaos, are real and whole and angst-ridden and filled with real desires for real love, real safety. This one hurt, as it spoke to where I’m at now.
I already have several of White’s earlier novels coming in the mail and will read them soon.
April 11, 2021
BUONA LA PROSSIMA
Jack Holmes (con quel cognome l'equipment è assicurato, e l'impavido mr White ce lo rammenta a ogni piè sospinto) è gay e si innamora dell'amico Will, etero. Siamo nella New York degli anni '60. Qui è tutto possibile, si può trovare un buon lavoro, poi ci si afferma, infine si rimorchia e gode con facilità, luoghi ed eventi sono infestati da gente danarosa e interessante pronta a mettere la propria inquieta(nte) agiatezza a disposizione del prossimo. In questo carosello di cliché gaî e squisitamente nordamericani, la vita è piena di opportunità e romanzesche svolte improvvise, così come è pronta a replicare l'arcinoto schema sentimentale in cui un tizio (omo) si innamora di un altro tizio (etero), e questa attrazione inappagata e costante si trascina per anni e anni. Il resto potete scoprirlo da voi, in un'opera che certo non figura fra le più accattivanti e dirompenti del magnifico scrittore di Cincinnati. Alla prossima, Edmund
Jack Holmes (con quel cognome l'equipment è assicurato, e l'impavido mr White ce lo rammenta a ogni piè sospinto) è gay e si innamora dell'amico Will, etero. Siamo nella New York degli anni '60. Qui è tutto possibile, si può trovare un buon lavoro, poi ci si afferma, infine si rimorchia e gode con facilità, luoghi ed eventi sono infestati da gente danarosa e interessante pronta a mettere la propria inquieta(nte) agiatezza a disposizione del prossimo. In questo carosello di cliché gaî e squisitamente nordamericani, la vita è piena di opportunità e romanzesche svolte improvvise, così come è pronta a replicare l'arcinoto schema sentimentale in cui un tizio (omo) si innamora di un altro tizio (etero), e questa attrazione inappagata e costante si trascina per anni e anni. Il resto potete scoprirlo da voi, in un'opera che certo non figura fra le più accattivanti e dirompenti del magnifico scrittore di Cincinnati. Alla prossima, Edmund
November 2, 2012
If you are a fan of Edmund White, I would recommend you skip his latest, "Jack Holmes and His Friend". Disappointing on many levels, but most notably for the fact that the main characters are so unlikable. Sadly, for an author who has written so eloquently about gay life in New York ("The Farewell Symphony") and gay liberation in general, White has missed with these two characters. Not even entertainingly unlikable; Jack, I'm afraid, is just another dull boy.
March 22, 2012
Edmund White's new novel is a surprising departure for the famous author of many gay-themed books. Much of Jack Holmes and His Friend is told first-person by an unswervingly straight man, Will. It is complete with all the details of his sex life with women, his role as a married father, his various mistresses, and his queasy unfocused homophobia. This is not what I expected from White and I wonder what his motivation was? Maybe to prove he can write about red-blooded heterosexuality with ease and authority? One wonders, and it is distracting while reading, where he got his experience. Many intimate sexual details seem to have been gleaned second-hand from straight friends and maybe a few instructional "videos". I admit I was uncomfortable.
If about half the book is told in first-person by the straight Will, the other half is written in third-person about a gay man, the eponymous Jack Holmes, who is completely gay and nurses a lifelong unrequited love for Will. Could this be anymore cliched? What gay guy hasn't had a crush on a straight guy? And it never works out, and doesn't here either. It is frustrating for Jack's "love" for Will to last more than thirty years and have it interfere with Jack's relationships with his many tricks and beautiful boys. And another cliche: Jack was psychoanalyzed to overcome his "disease", then, later, his "lifestyle." White is criticizing society's prejudices in the 1960's and 1970's, but it seems he is also not in favor of the promiscuous "libertine" lifestyle of this period. We desperately want to like Jack, to be just like him, but White makes it difficult to do so. The author comes very, very, close to judging Jack, and Will too, and this is a potent souce of reader angst. He draws upon that perpetual and characteristically American fount of fiction---guilt---and makes us squirm with self-revelation.
Then, when it appears that Jack and Will may have overcome their internally and externally imposed constraining moralities, and might draw some deep conclusions about the meaning of gay and straight and sexual puritanism (this word revealingly is often used in the chapters about Will), AIDS rears its ugly head, and Jack and Will run for cover. Will abandons his orgies and mistresses and goes back to his boring, but beloved, wife and family. Jack gives up his endless three-week-long stints with pretty boys (with at least some measure of regret, we gay readers hope) to form a committed relationship with an older balding "daddy." Here again White is ambiguous about the outcome. Reducing the risk of deadly infection is the surface motive, but I wonder if White, after himself leading a long life of being "Jack", becoming HIV-positive, and entering into a long committed relationship, isn't issuing us a warning? If so, I respect this, but it doesn't really make for a satisfying outcome. The book ends abruptly and I felt like I just had a long lecture from my parents, or an analyst. But who said there always have to be happy endings?
If about half the book is told in first-person by the straight Will, the other half is written in third-person about a gay man, the eponymous Jack Holmes, who is completely gay and nurses a lifelong unrequited love for Will. Could this be anymore cliched? What gay guy hasn't had a crush on a straight guy? And it never works out, and doesn't here either. It is frustrating for Jack's "love" for Will to last more than thirty years and have it interfere with Jack's relationships with his many tricks and beautiful boys. And another cliche: Jack was psychoanalyzed to overcome his "disease", then, later, his "lifestyle." White is criticizing society's prejudices in the 1960's and 1970's, but it seems he is also not in favor of the promiscuous "libertine" lifestyle of this period. We desperately want to like Jack, to be just like him, but White makes it difficult to do so. The author comes very, very, close to judging Jack, and Will too, and this is a potent souce of reader angst. He draws upon that perpetual and characteristically American fount of fiction---guilt---and makes us squirm with self-revelation.
Then, when it appears that Jack and Will may have overcome their internally and externally imposed constraining moralities, and might draw some deep conclusions about the meaning of gay and straight and sexual puritanism (this word revealingly is often used in the chapters about Will), AIDS rears its ugly head, and Jack and Will run for cover. Will abandons his orgies and mistresses and goes back to his boring, but beloved, wife and family. Jack gives up his endless three-week-long stints with pretty boys (with at least some measure of regret, we gay readers hope) to form a committed relationship with an older balding "daddy." Here again White is ambiguous about the outcome. Reducing the risk of deadly infection is the surface motive, but I wonder if White, after himself leading a long life of being "Jack", becoming HIV-positive, and entering into a long committed relationship, isn't issuing us a warning? If so, I respect this, but it doesn't really make for a satisfying outcome. The book ends abruptly and I felt like I just had a long lecture from my parents, or an analyst. But who said there always have to be happy endings?
May 25, 2012
Extraordinary account of changing sexual mores over the decades, as seen through the prism of two lifelong male friends, charting their lives, loves, hopes, dreams, trysts, lowpoints and epiphanies. This is by no means a 'gay only' book -- White writes as bawdily, and as tenderly, about cunt as he does about cock (this is a gorgeously filthy, erotic, pulse-pounding book). Heartbreakingly real, one really gets to live in the skin of Jack and Will and their coterie of friends and lovers.
The only other writer I can think of who can delve into sordidness with such familiarity and gusto is Samuel R. Delany. White is unafraid to show the darker side of the gay experience, the sex addiction, the loneliness, the prejudice, and the human cost. Interestingly, this is probably one of White's most life-affirming books to date -- the ending is sublime.
God, I cannot get over how much I loved this book, probably because it struck so many chords with some of my own experiences. Exquisite.
p95: He could picture the imprint of an oily body on the bedticking thrown onto the floor ... the smell of the sixties: ass and incense.
p317: "Love," I said, "isn't an achievement. It's like a sonata. Once you've finished playing it, nothing remains. Not even sounds in the air."
p319: Were cock and cunt the most important things in life? The big, red, slippery heart of a couple?
The only other writer I can think of who can delve into sordidness with such familiarity and gusto is Samuel R. Delany. White is unafraid to show the darker side of the gay experience, the sex addiction, the loneliness, the prejudice, and the human cost. Interestingly, this is probably one of White's most life-affirming books to date -- the ending is sublime.
God, I cannot get over how much I loved this book, probably because it struck so many chords with some of my own experiences. Exquisite.
p95: He could picture the imprint of an oily body on the bedticking thrown onto the floor ... the smell of the sixties: ass and incense.
p317: "Love," I said, "isn't an achievement. It's like a sonata. Once you've finished playing it, nothing remains. Not even sounds in the air."
p319: Were cock and cunt the most important things in life? The big, red, slippery heart of a couple?
July 10, 2024
What a queer concoction! I have to say, the first section, in the voice of a gay man, I found unconvincing and eventually quite tedious. However, when the voice switched to his friend, a straight man, I found that voice much more believable and engaging. Not sure what that says about the writer (or the reader) in this case.
By the time the voice switches a couple more times, I had trouble remembering who the "I" was supposed to be. (Perhaps that blurring of distinctions is meant to convey some development in their relationship.)
If this book was someone's first novel, it would have been difficult to find a publisher and attract reviewers. I expected more from Mr. White. Then again, this is the first one of his books I have read in many years. I hope this is not his new standard.
By the time the voice switches a couple more times, I had trouble remembering who the "I" was supposed to be. (Perhaps that blurring of distinctions is meant to convey some development in their relationship.)
If this book was someone's first novel, it would have been difficult to find a publisher and attract reviewers. I expected more from Mr. White. Then again, this is the first one of his books I have read in many years. I hope this is not his new standard.
October 9, 2012
I don't always like Edmund White's fiction, but this was very good. In fact I found it hard to put down. His main characters develop in believable but surprising ways, and there is great pace to the novel. Mostly set in the 60s and 70s it has a lot of period detail, observations such as when certain words come into vogue, and how people's attitudes change over the years.
July 9, 2013
Very disappointing. It felt like an old manuscript pulled from a trunk and revised. White's nonfiction memoir, City Boy, covers the same subject matter, but more authentically and engagingly.
August 7, 2017
I'm usually driven by plot even in literary fiction, but I have to admit that I was struck by the quality of writing on a number of occasions while reading this book. I've read a number of White novels, and at times find him a bit 'hit or miss', but in this case he definitely was successful, in my opinion, in capturing the lives of both gay and straight NYC in the latter half of the 20th century through the relationships portrayed within the novel. Will encourage me to return to other novels that I've maybe overlooked before now.
September 25, 2021
Written in a charmingly old-fashioned style, this book reveals sides of "old-fashioned" American life rarely acknowledged in books published during the time period it covers (Late 1950s thru 1970s), making it a deliciously subversive piece of work. And the titular "friend"? He's about 9 inches long and extremely playful.
June 19, 2016
Set in 1960s New York, this novel builds up around the friendship of two men, Jack and Will, the former gay and in love with his straight friend. Their friendship with each other and relationships with others are the focal point through which the author explores themes of promiscuity, infidelity, gay life in the city at that time, homophobia, and more. While objectively interesting as a study of a trainwreck of personalities and interpersonal relationships, I just found the characters (every single one of them) shallow, annoying, and generally exceedingly unlikable. I most certainly did not enjoy spending this much time in Will's self-centered, sex-driven, homophobic mind. I really need to stop reading books about people I wouldn't want to be in the same room with.
July 5, 2013
I've always been ambivalent about Edmund White. I'm afraid, for me at least, there is a conceit about his characters, and the authorial tone, that is off-putting and slightly arrogant. I found the characters here to be self-absorbed and uninviting to care for. That said, it's always interesting, at the very least, to read serious fiction by and about gay men.
August 19, 2014
In Jack Holmes, Edmund White approaches 20th century homosexuality differently from his previous works. Although the novel's namesake is homosexual, White's focus and most intimate psychological explorations deal with Will Wright, Jack Holmes’ straight object of desire. Although the novel's central theme is homosexuality, White approaches it through the eyes of a straight male. Through characterization and the juxtaposition of Jack and Will, White questions the nature of sexual orientation and the traditional definition and assumptions of masculinity.
The novel begins with a brief account of Jack's life before Will and his coming-out in pre-AIDs Manhattan. It briefly explains his life in boarding school and university, his confused liaisons with a large breasted girl (whose physical description and explicit phallaphobia may suggest her own homosexuality), and his even more confused infatuation with an artistic roommate who paints erotically in his underwear. This part of the novel and its Midwestern setting certainly echo White's earlier, semi-autobiographical work The Beautiful Room is Empty, and they introduce us to a sexually confused but rather normal, confident and handsome young man. The setting and the relationships are never greatly explored here, and White instead uses this part of the novel to quickly (and perhaps too shallowly) build the character of Jack.
As Jack moves to New York, he continues to question his sexuality. It is very clear that Jack is masculine, well-endowed (almost a redundancy), emotionally detached, and charming in a way that "appeals to elderly society ladies who like to dance with him at parties." At a party thrown by friends, he is the main attraction of all sexes, and he eventually beds a male-to-female dancer. Although this relationship is short-lived, it subtly reinforces Jack's masculinity. Even in what most people would consider a queer relationship, Jack's unquestionably the man. Jack is always the dominant partner, and his masculanity is never questioned by characters, including Jack himself, or by the author. If anything, Jack's straight friends, including the ever-desired Will, defend Jack's masculinity and enjoy speculating on (problematizing) it in relation to his sexual orientation. An unusual element of White's narrative (especially in the context of the time and attitude during which it is set) is that although Jack is gay, his character is never threatened with castration (metaphorically or physically) or thought of as anything less than masculine. If anything, Jack almost becomes the very masculine ideal of the narrative.
The only character in the novel who receives any depth of dimension from White's narrative is Will Wright, Jack's straight friend and obsession. White introduces Will during the first of the novel's three parts, while the narrative is still told from a third person omniscient narrator, as a wealthy, blue-blooded colleague of Jack's. During this part of the novel, which is seen from an "objective" eye, Will becomes Jack's object of desire and Will’s masculinity is unquestioned. As the first part of the novel unravels, Jack introduces Will to a female friend, Alex, and the two eventually become interested in one another. Jack's role as a matchmaker ties him and the couple into a web of closeness, and his involvement further reinforces his masculinity. He was the one who first wooed Alex, and her infatuation with him remains questionable throughout the novel. Even at this point in the novel, White almost seems to imply that the straight Will needs Jack in order to approach and interact with females.
As White moves into the second part of the novel, the narrative shifts to first person and is told from the point of view of Will. This is the most introspective of the three sections, and White explores territory not previously seen in other works of his (at least of those I have read). His narrative becomes straight in that it is told from the perspective of a straight-identifying male, but it remains fundamentally queer in its occupation with and exploration of his relationship with Jack. What is most interesting about Will's narrative is the suddenly revealed insecurity with his own masculinity. Through the first narrator, Will is either described "objectively" (by objectively I mean both as one might describe someone they see on a busy street and as one might be viewed through the eyes of societal norms at large) or through Jack's desires, both of which portray Will as a typical, blue-blooded (though, interestingly, his father’s family no longer has money), masculine "Princeton man." Once we are in Will's perspective, however, we are introduced to an array of private thoughts. Will’s insecurities about his father’s family’s lack of money in comparison to Alex’s rich family are revealed, as are the fact that Jack's masculine appearance coupled with his sexual orientation are a constant point of confusion for Will. Though the latter may not in itself be indicative of Will's own insecurities, it is indicative of the narrowness of the times.
By section two of the novel, Will has married Alex. After their first few years of marriage, Will and Alex decide to rekindle their relationship with Jack by inviting him to their estate for dinner. Jack comes, bringing along the sensual Pia as his date. As the night evolves, Will's lust for Pia becomes the narrative's main focus, and Jack has yet again served as the instigator of and facilitator for Will's masculine desires.
The deeper exploration of Will's psyche and insecurities comes with the start of this infidelity. As section two of the novel continues, Pia and Will become possessed by their sexual desires. Both take turns dominating and instigating their affairs, and Pia often plays the dominating instigator. Will’s insecurities are regularly revealed through his conversations with Jack. Will regularly milks Jack for information to reaffirm his control of the situation. It is very clear, however, from the start, that Pia too holds a great deal of control. The climax of this affair is an act of sodomy which Will initially views as unthinkable but ultimately (and pleasurably) agrees to. Their relation and this act in particular are White's way of pointing out an obvious hypocrisy: why is it socially acceptable for a married man to cheat on his wife and sodomize his mistress but not okay for a man like Jack to fuck men? As the novel continues, Will's sexual deviancy becomes more and more risky, and his eventual participation in a series of orgies steers just shy (though not completely clear of) homosexual acts.
Will's infidelities lead him to dark and muddled places. He even spends a portion of the novel living with, and arguably even being kept by, Jack. In a snap shot of their relationship, Jack has become the successful man emotionally and financially supporting his married, alcoholic, straight friend. It is clear that Will has become a victim to his sexual desires and failures as an author, and Jack, though hardly heroic, is the stronger one in the relationship. Jack is even the one who talks on the phone and attempts to console Alex on a lunch date. He stands as the rock for the wife, the mistress, and the husband. In essence, he is, traditionally speaking, the man, the rock, the strength.
In the end, White's novel fizzles. Will, Jack and Alex all run into each other years later. Jack now has a partner, and he and Will both seem mildly content, though hardly excited or inspired. White further muddle's the ending by introducing Will's son, now a teenager and aspiring actor, whose sexuality the narrative questions. What the significance is behind this, however, remains unclear.
The analysis of Will's emasculation and Jack's masculinity could continue much further, though, White's novel does nicely begin the deconstruction of traditional masculinity. Furthermore, White's narrative touches on the hypocritical relationship between sexuality and morality. During that era, and even today in more ignorant populations, society's moral allowances did/do not add up. A man like Jack was viewed as corrupt, immoral, while men like Will were forgiven or, in some cases, even celebrated as playboys. Ultimately, White successfully calls for the recognition of a double-standard between hetero- and homosexual men, however, why he seems so eager to prove the value of gay men in such a retro-traditional lens of masculinity remains questionable.
The novel begins with a brief account of Jack's life before Will and his coming-out in pre-AIDs Manhattan. It briefly explains his life in boarding school and university, his confused liaisons with a large breasted girl (whose physical description and explicit phallaphobia may suggest her own homosexuality), and his even more confused infatuation with an artistic roommate who paints erotically in his underwear. This part of the novel and its Midwestern setting certainly echo White's earlier, semi-autobiographical work The Beautiful Room is Empty, and they introduce us to a sexually confused but rather normal, confident and handsome young man. The setting and the relationships are never greatly explored here, and White instead uses this part of the novel to quickly (and perhaps too shallowly) build the character of Jack.
As Jack moves to New York, he continues to question his sexuality. It is very clear that Jack is masculine, well-endowed (almost a redundancy), emotionally detached, and charming in a way that "appeals to elderly society ladies who like to dance with him at parties." At a party thrown by friends, he is the main attraction of all sexes, and he eventually beds a male-to-female dancer. Although this relationship is short-lived, it subtly reinforces Jack's masculinity. Even in what most people would consider a queer relationship, Jack's unquestionably the man. Jack is always the dominant partner, and his masculanity is never questioned by characters, including Jack himself, or by the author. If anything, Jack's straight friends, including the ever-desired Will, defend Jack's masculinity and enjoy speculating on (problematizing) it in relation to his sexual orientation. An unusual element of White's narrative (especially in the context of the time and attitude during which it is set) is that although Jack is gay, his character is never threatened with castration (metaphorically or physically) or thought of as anything less than masculine. If anything, Jack almost becomes the very masculine ideal of the narrative.
The only character in the novel who receives any depth of dimension from White's narrative is Will Wright, Jack's straight friend and obsession. White introduces Will during the first of the novel's three parts, while the narrative is still told from a third person omniscient narrator, as a wealthy, blue-blooded colleague of Jack's. During this part of the novel, which is seen from an "objective" eye, Will becomes Jack's object of desire and Will’s masculinity is unquestioned. As the first part of the novel unravels, Jack introduces Will to a female friend, Alex, and the two eventually become interested in one another. Jack's role as a matchmaker ties him and the couple into a web of closeness, and his involvement further reinforces his masculinity. He was the one who first wooed Alex, and her infatuation with him remains questionable throughout the novel. Even at this point in the novel, White almost seems to imply that the straight Will needs Jack in order to approach and interact with females.
As White moves into the second part of the novel, the narrative shifts to first person and is told from the point of view of Will. This is the most introspective of the three sections, and White explores territory not previously seen in other works of his (at least of those I have read). His narrative becomes straight in that it is told from the perspective of a straight-identifying male, but it remains fundamentally queer in its occupation with and exploration of his relationship with Jack. What is most interesting about Will's narrative is the suddenly revealed insecurity with his own masculinity. Through the first narrator, Will is either described "objectively" (by objectively I mean both as one might describe someone they see on a busy street and as one might be viewed through the eyes of societal norms at large) or through Jack's desires, both of which portray Will as a typical, blue-blooded (though, interestingly, his father’s family no longer has money), masculine "Princeton man." Once we are in Will's perspective, however, we are introduced to an array of private thoughts. Will’s insecurities about his father’s family’s lack of money in comparison to Alex’s rich family are revealed, as are the fact that Jack's masculine appearance coupled with his sexual orientation are a constant point of confusion for Will. Though the latter may not in itself be indicative of Will's own insecurities, it is indicative of the narrowness of the times.
By section two of the novel, Will has married Alex. After their first few years of marriage, Will and Alex decide to rekindle their relationship with Jack by inviting him to their estate for dinner. Jack comes, bringing along the sensual Pia as his date. As the night evolves, Will's lust for Pia becomes the narrative's main focus, and Jack has yet again served as the instigator of and facilitator for Will's masculine desires.
The deeper exploration of Will's psyche and insecurities comes with the start of this infidelity. As section two of the novel continues, Pia and Will become possessed by their sexual desires. Both take turns dominating and instigating their affairs, and Pia often plays the dominating instigator. Will’s insecurities are regularly revealed through his conversations with Jack. Will regularly milks Jack for information to reaffirm his control of the situation. It is very clear, however, from the start, that Pia too holds a great deal of control. The climax of this affair is an act of sodomy which Will initially views as unthinkable but ultimately (and pleasurably) agrees to. Their relation and this act in particular are White's way of pointing out an obvious hypocrisy: why is it socially acceptable for a married man to cheat on his wife and sodomize his mistress but not okay for a man like Jack to fuck men? As the novel continues, Will's sexual deviancy becomes more and more risky, and his eventual participation in a series of orgies steers just shy (though not completely clear of) homosexual acts.
Will's infidelities lead him to dark and muddled places. He even spends a portion of the novel living with, and arguably even being kept by, Jack. In a snap shot of their relationship, Jack has become the successful man emotionally and financially supporting his married, alcoholic, straight friend. It is clear that Will has become a victim to his sexual desires and failures as an author, and Jack, though hardly heroic, is the stronger one in the relationship. Jack is even the one who talks on the phone and attempts to console Alex on a lunch date. He stands as the rock for the wife, the mistress, and the husband. In essence, he is, traditionally speaking, the man, the rock, the strength.
In the end, White's novel fizzles. Will, Jack and Alex all run into each other years later. Jack now has a partner, and he and Will both seem mildly content, though hardly excited or inspired. White further muddle's the ending by introducing Will's son, now a teenager and aspiring actor, whose sexuality the narrative questions. What the significance is behind this, however, remains unclear.
The analysis of Will's emasculation and Jack's masculinity could continue much further, though, White's novel does nicely begin the deconstruction of traditional masculinity. Furthermore, White's narrative touches on the hypocritical relationship between sexuality and morality. During that era, and even today in more ignorant populations, society's moral allowances did/do not add up. A man like Jack was viewed as corrupt, immoral, while men like Will were forgiven or, in some cases, even celebrated as playboys. Ultimately, White successfully calls for the recognition of a double-standard between hetero- and homosexual men, however, why he seems so eager to prove the value of gay men in such a retro-traditional lens of masculinity remains questionable.
October 19, 2021
I read this some years ago. I think of it from time to time. That's how much I liked it. It is an exceptional "gay man's journey in New York City" novel. Memorable story from the 1960's-the late 1980's (as I recall). His protagonist Jack Holmes is a triumph, a humble gay hero for his times.
April 12, 2012
No matter what your sexual orientation, if you’re close with someone, there is a sense of love and attraction. You may not find the person sexually attractive, but you understand why others would, and there is something about this person’s aura, intelligence, company, personality, need, something…that makes you fall in love.
Edmund White has written a novel about whether a gay man and a straight man can be close friends. In that sense this book is a little odd, because of course they can! But what if the gay man is sexually obsessed with the straight man? This makes the weight of their long-term friendship more perilous.
In this case handsome Midwesterner Jack Holmes may be sexually gifted, but it is his pimply, Catholic and Southern friend Will who attracts Jack. God know what it is about Will. It seems to be Will’s gallantry combined with an easy but none-too-serious masculinity. Together, they traverse New York City’s history between the early 1960s up until the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. (This is also the height of sexual awakening for America.) Both Jack and Will write for journals and magazines, but Will dreams of being a novelist, and Jack never had any firm plans.
In the first part, Jack slowly comes out in a way that seems natural to the times. He’s at first ashamed and then resigned, never too political about it. e is comfortable with the fact that he may be desirable, but still very staid in his soul. Gothic Catholicism, on the other hand, has hemmed in heterosexual Will; he marries Jack’s debutante friend Alexandra and then spends years trying to shake off his piousness in Penthouse-like fantasies, and then feckless affairs, and finally advancing to all-out orgies. This also seems to mirror to sexual revolution that slowly built speed to the late 1970s.
Sex. So much of White’s book here is about sex and sexual politic. So much is spent in describing bodies and acts, smells, dress, gesture, technique. It’s a weirdly myopic but also fascinating. Does all this mindless sex get a little stale? Sure, sometimes, but it’s also easy to read. (In fact, it only took me two days to devour all 400 pages.)
Is this a good book? I don’t know. It’s well written, but the long passages of gay-versus-straight talk felt canned and even self-hating on both sides. Yet, I understand what Jack and Will tells us about sexual politics informs us more about themselves then it ever does about all gays versus all heterosexuals. Jack and Will are products of their time, but they are also distinct characters (if a little bland). These two could never give Universal truths, because these two are blinded by their own experiences. Yet, Jack and Will are accurate, because what they describe is irrefutably true to their own souls. Their sense of their places in history may not be clear to them, but it is to us.
Did I like the long-winded dialogues comparing homosexuality and heterosexuality both physically and emotionally? Not really. It got boring.
Was there anything else that bothered me? Yes, the first part of the book is about Jack, told in third person. Then Will takes over the second half. Then it switches to third person, and in the last 30 pages, Will takes over again.
Then, somewhere in those last pages, the trick of the book dawned on me, who actually wrote the whole shebang, who’s narrating!
I know it’s a little hard to follow, but here it is: White – who is a very talented writer – lived a life much like Jack’s: from the Midwest, studying Chinese art, gay in 1960s NYC, falling into writing. The fictional Will – whoever he is – wanted to be a novelist, but he seemed to lack the talent; he also knew something about his own life and the people around him would actually make a serviceable novel. Maybe it’s not a perfect novel, but somehow gay White (who is a lot like Jack) wrote a book from fictional, straight Will’s perspective. Now I’m wondering who the real Will is – if there is one – and how he feels about his story finally being told by the real-life Jack instead of himself. It’s very meta, but it makes for a cool structure. It requires White to make a fictional version of himself (Jack) and then write about Jack from his straight friend’s perspective. Wow! Gimmicky, but my mind is blown!
Edmund White has written a novel about whether a gay man and a straight man can be close friends. In that sense this book is a little odd, because of course they can! But what if the gay man is sexually obsessed with the straight man? This makes the weight of their long-term friendship more perilous.
In this case handsome Midwesterner Jack Holmes may be sexually gifted, but it is his pimply, Catholic and Southern friend Will who attracts Jack. God know what it is about Will. It seems to be Will’s gallantry combined with an easy but none-too-serious masculinity. Together, they traverse New York City’s history between the early 1960s up until the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. (This is also the height of sexual awakening for America.) Both Jack and Will write for journals and magazines, but Will dreams of being a novelist, and Jack never had any firm plans.
In the first part, Jack slowly comes out in a way that seems natural to the times. He’s at first ashamed and then resigned, never too political about it. e is comfortable with the fact that he may be desirable, but still very staid in his soul. Gothic Catholicism, on the other hand, has hemmed in heterosexual Will; he marries Jack’s debutante friend Alexandra and then spends years trying to shake off his piousness in Penthouse-like fantasies, and then feckless affairs, and finally advancing to all-out orgies. This also seems to mirror to sexual revolution that slowly built speed to the late 1970s.
Sex. So much of White’s book here is about sex and sexual politic. So much is spent in describing bodies and acts, smells, dress, gesture, technique. It’s a weirdly myopic but also fascinating. Does all this mindless sex get a little stale? Sure, sometimes, but it’s also easy to read. (In fact, it only took me two days to devour all 400 pages.)
Is this a good book? I don’t know. It’s well written, but the long passages of gay-versus-straight talk felt canned and even self-hating on both sides. Yet, I understand what Jack and Will tells us about sexual politics informs us more about themselves then it ever does about all gays versus all heterosexuals. Jack and Will are products of their time, but they are also distinct characters (if a little bland). These two could never give Universal truths, because these two are blinded by their own experiences. Yet, Jack and Will are accurate, because what they describe is irrefutably true to their own souls. Their sense of their places in history may not be clear to them, but it is to us.
Did I like the long-winded dialogues comparing homosexuality and heterosexuality both physically and emotionally? Not really. It got boring.
Was there anything else that bothered me? Yes, the first part of the book is about Jack, told in third person. Then Will takes over the second half. Then it switches to third person, and in the last 30 pages, Will takes over again.
Then, somewhere in those last pages, the trick of the book dawned on me, who actually wrote the whole shebang, who’s narrating!
I know it’s a little hard to follow, but here it is: White – who is a very talented writer – lived a life much like Jack’s: from the Midwest, studying Chinese art, gay in 1960s NYC, falling into writing. The fictional Will – whoever he is – wanted to be a novelist, but he seemed to lack the talent; he also knew something about his own life and the people around him would actually make a serviceable novel. Maybe it’s not a perfect novel, but somehow gay White (who is a lot like Jack) wrote a book from fictional, straight Will’s perspective. Now I’m wondering who the real Will is – if there is one – and how he feels about his story finally being told by the real-life Jack instead of himself. It’s very meta, but it makes for a cool structure. It requires White to make a fictional version of himself (Jack) and then write about Jack from his straight friend’s perspective. Wow! Gimmicky, but my mind is blown!
September 1, 2017
Some time during the mid-80s, I read A Boy’s Own Story, one of Edmund White’s better-known novels. I liked it, so later read a couple of others by the author; books I also enjoyed. So, when I began to read this novel, I expected to like it. However, I was disappointed. I thought the premise interesting, but the language pretentious and forced.
Edmund White was born in Cincinnati in 1940, but spent most of his boyhood in Evanston, Illinois, and a boarding school in Michigan. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Chinese, Harvard University accepted him into their school, but White decided to follow a man he loved and move to New York. There, he worked as a staff writer for Time-Life Books, senior editor of The Saturday Review. and other positions.
Living in New York City during the 1960s and 70s, White immersed himself in gay culture and was present at the 1969 Stonewall riots that many mark as the beginning of the modern LGBT movement. It is White’s evolving understanding of “the gay experience” that permeates most of his numerous essays, novels, and non-fiction work including biographies, travelogues, and memoirs. His first novel, Forgetting Elena, was published in 1973. It, and subsequent novels, established White as one of the most important voices in gay literature.
With the outbreak of HIV/AIDS, White lost many friends so joined with playwright Larry Kramer, and others, to start the Gay Men’s Health Crisis organization to help care for those afflicted with the disease. In 1985, after learning of his own infection, he became one of the few public figures to speak openly about AIDS. After moving to Paris in 1983, White returned to the US in 1990 after the AIDS-related death of his long-time lover.
Among his awards, White was named to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1996, and named state author of New York in 2016. Currently, White serves as a professor of creative writing at Princeton University.
Jack Holmes and His Friend is set mostly in New York City during the late 60s into the mid-80 and the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. Meeting soon after college, Jack, a gay man struggling to accept himself, falls in love with his straight, and unattainable friend, Will. Unable to hide behind a conventional friendship and similar life experiences, the men find themselves having to be more open, honest, and vulnerable in their conversations. As Jack says, “there were so few safe male ritual topics available” to them, they “ended up saying things that were real and personal.”
It is through this intimacy that each of the men comes to know who he is in his own body. It is also through their intimacy that we come to better understand differences between gay and straight male sexuality and identity, and confront questions of friendship, love and desire.
Too often, though, the language feels forced and as though White ran out of fresh and engaging ways to describe these men at home and work, at parties and bars, alone and with friends, naked and clothed, having sex, riding trains, and so forth. Finally, while I find White’s intention interesting and even important, I suspect I would have liked the novel more had he cut at least 100 pages.
A reluctant “three stars.”
Edmund White was born in Cincinnati in 1940, but spent most of his boyhood in Evanston, Illinois, and a boarding school in Michigan. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Chinese, Harvard University accepted him into their school, but White decided to follow a man he loved and move to New York. There, he worked as a staff writer for Time-Life Books, senior editor of The Saturday Review. and other positions.
Living in New York City during the 1960s and 70s, White immersed himself in gay culture and was present at the 1969 Stonewall riots that many mark as the beginning of the modern LGBT movement. It is White’s evolving understanding of “the gay experience” that permeates most of his numerous essays, novels, and non-fiction work including biographies, travelogues, and memoirs. His first novel, Forgetting Elena, was published in 1973. It, and subsequent novels, established White as one of the most important voices in gay literature.
With the outbreak of HIV/AIDS, White lost many friends so joined with playwright Larry Kramer, and others, to start the Gay Men’s Health Crisis organization to help care for those afflicted with the disease. In 1985, after learning of his own infection, he became one of the few public figures to speak openly about AIDS. After moving to Paris in 1983, White returned to the US in 1990 after the AIDS-related death of his long-time lover.
Among his awards, White was named to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1996, and named state author of New York in 2016. Currently, White serves as a professor of creative writing at Princeton University.
Jack Holmes and His Friend is set mostly in New York City during the late 60s into the mid-80 and the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. Meeting soon after college, Jack, a gay man struggling to accept himself, falls in love with his straight, and unattainable friend, Will. Unable to hide behind a conventional friendship and similar life experiences, the men find themselves having to be more open, honest, and vulnerable in their conversations. As Jack says, “there were so few safe male ritual topics available” to them, they “ended up saying things that were real and personal.”
It is through this intimacy that each of the men comes to know who he is in his own body. It is also through their intimacy that we come to better understand differences between gay and straight male sexuality and identity, and confront questions of friendship, love and desire.
Too often, though, the language feels forced and as though White ran out of fresh and engaging ways to describe these men at home and work, at parties and bars, alone and with friends, naked and clothed, having sex, riding trains, and so forth. Finally, while I find White’s intention interesting and even important, I suspect I would have liked the novel more had he cut at least 100 pages.
A reluctant “three stars.”
February 7, 2012
Attraction and attachment and the bond of friendship
The lives of two men interwoven by friendship and love jump off the page of Edmund White’s unaffected and wholly effective new story “Jack Homes & His Friend.”
The friends are Jack Holmes and Will Wright, one gay the other straight. They meet in New York in the early 60s, then a place that “sometimes felt like a rusting but still functioning factory built by a giant,” and during a time social and sexual mores are offering new freedom, when AIDS enters the lexicon and “liberation” takes on new meaning.
They both work at “the Northern Review,” a cultural journal. Jack is from an “eccentric” Midwestern family. Will is the “bluest” of Virginia bluebloods, acne-scarred and “oddly “handsome. On the job and at night they share the mundane and the momentous, coming back from lunch, for example, to see the ribbon in Times Square scroll with news of JFK’s assassination.
Their friendship is a bond complicated by Jack’s longing which he blurts out at work standing at Will’s cubicle, “I realized I’m in love with you and that it’s an illness and it’s getting worse and our friendship isn’t going anywhere.”
Their friendship does endure through the decades. Jack has encounters with other men but remains devoted to Will who marries Alexandria, a New York heiress and moves to Westchester County, raises a family, grows restless in his marriage. Both view themselves as libertines, living life to the fullest without sexual or moral constraints.
Jack and Will tell us the story from their own separate points of view. Jack narrates the first and third parts in the third person. Will picks up with his first-person account in the second section and in the epilogue. The narrative device effectively allows for personal comment and context for actions and motivations of the other.
The distance of time strengthens their connection and in White’s hands their bond of friendship becomes something almost larger than life. Unlike lovers, they are soul mates who “experience no conflict.”
The intensity of their friendship is reminiscent of the relationship between Lymie Peters and Spud Latham is William Maxwell’s 1945 “Folded Leaf,” a classic tale of the meaning men have in each other’s lives.
White is visceral, explicit in his portrayal of sexuality both gay and straight. While sex adds a dimension to the lives the two men lead, emotional fulfillment and the meaning of relationships are more important that physical sensation.
A portrayal of the difference in relationships between men and between men and women is the abiding theme. White’s unconventional focus on the gender-based aspects of attraction and attachments succeeds in bringing new clarity and meaning to the way we live and love. I thought the book daring in its approach and enlightening with new insights into the human psyche. Also, it’s a very good, moving story.
The lives of two men interwoven by friendship and love jump off the page of Edmund White’s unaffected and wholly effective new story “Jack Homes & His Friend.”
The friends are Jack Holmes and Will Wright, one gay the other straight. They meet in New York in the early 60s, then a place that “sometimes felt like a rusting but still functioning factory built by a giant,” and during a time social and sexual mores are offering new freedom, when AIDS enters the lexicon and “liberation” takes on new meaning.
They both work at “the Northern Review,” a cultural journal. Jack is from an “eccentric” Midwestern family. Will is the “bluest” of Virginia bluebloods, acne-scarred and “oddly “handsome. On the job and at night they share the mundane and the momentous, coming back from lunch, for example, to see the ribbon in Times Square scroll with news of JFK’s assassination.
Their friendship is a bond complicated by Jack’s longing which he blurts out at work standing at Will’s cubicle, “I realized I’m in love with you and that it’s an illness and it’s getting worse and our friendship isn’t going anywhere.”
Their friendship does endure through the decades. Jack has encounters with other men but remains devoted to Will who marries Alexandria, a New York heiress and moves to Westchester County, raises a family, grows restless in his marriage. Both view themselves as libertines, living life to the fullest without sexual or moral constraints.
Jack and Will tell us the story from their own separate points of view. Jack narrates the first and third parts in the third person. Will picks up with his first-person account in the second section and in the epilogue. The narrative device effectively allows for personal comment and context for actions and motivations of the other.
The distance of time strengthens their connection and in White’s hands their bond of friendship becomes something almost larger than life. Unlike lovers, they are soul mates who “experience no conflict.”
The intensity of their friendship is reminiscent of the relationship between Lymie Peters and Spud Latham is William Maxwell’s 1945 “Folded Leaf,” a classic tale of the meaning men have in each other’s lives.
White is visceral, explicit in his portrayal of sexuality both gay and straight. While sex adds a dimension to the lives the two men lead, emotional fulfillment and the meaning of relationships are more important that physical sensation.
A portrayal of the difference in relationships between men and between men and women is the abiding theme. White’s unconventional focus on the gender-based aspects of attraction and attachments succeeds in bringing new clarity and meaning to the way we live and love. I thought the book daring in its approach and enlightening with new insights into the human psyche. Also, it’s a very good, moving story.
June 16, 2012
This is my first Edmund White book and I was thoroughly impressed.This delicious novel is set in 1960s New York. Jack Holmes is ashamed of his sexuality and tries to rid himself of unwanted yearnings through women and therapists. All that changes when Will Wright enters his life and Jack falls head over heels in love with his new straight friend. So begins a lifelong friendship between a straight man and his gay friend.
This book was extremely sexual and did not shy away from the realities of gay life/sex in the 1960s. Nothing was sugar coated.
I absolutely loved Jack. He was such a wonderful character. There were many different facets to his personality. He was not perfect. He was oversexed, bitter at times and really mistreated the men he was with. There was one scene where he went over the physical shortcomings of his lovers and then was surprised that a young man he had slept with was humorous and easy to talk to. Lets just say that he was not in the business of getting to know his lovers. His desperate unrequited love for Will meant that he had trouble opening up to other men. I really don't know why he fell for Will as I found him utterly unlikable at times and it wasn't as though he was an Adonis.
Will's and Jack's relationship was flawed and strange. They were like two puzzle pieces that just didn't fit. However, these flaws were what made the story so engaging and interesting.
White's writing was impeccable and I felt that I took something away from this novel. Perhaps a new appreciation or understanding about men? I can't really say. However, this is an absolute must read. I think that I will have to read his previous novels. This review was hard to write, I didn't really know what to say or even how to express my love for this book. I hope that I have explained myself well enough.
This book was extremely sexual and did not shy away from the realities of gay life/sex in the 1960s. Nothing was sugar coated.
I absolutely loved Jack. He was such a wonderful character. There were many different facets to his personality. He was not perfect. He was oversexed, bitter at times and really mistreated the men he was with. There was one scene where he went over the physical shortcomings of his lovers and then was surprised that a young man he had slept with was humorous and easy to talk to. Lets just say that he was not in the business of getting to know his lovers. His desperate unrequited love for Will meant that he had trouble opening up to other men. I really don't know why he fell for Will as I found him utterly unlikable at times and it wasn't as though he was an Adonis.
Will's and Jack's relationship was flawed and strange. They were like two puzzle pieces that just didn't fit. However, these flaws were what made the story so engaging and interesting.
White's writing was impeccable and I felt that I took something away from this novel. Perhaps a new appreciation or understanding about men? I can't really say. However, this is an absolute must read. I think that I will have to read his previous novels. This review was hard to write, I didn't really know what to say or even how to express my love for this book. I hope that I have explained myself well enough.
September 6, 2012
It seems White knows a thing about the unjust circumstances of a best friend falling in love with his. To be sure, sex drives this novel. The possibility alone drives the reader through each chapter, anticipating, cheering for the protagonist. Though instead melancholy pervades long enough to make the story feel real, but is soon encouraged away by the pace of more anticipation. We follow two handsome men through what is surely thirty years of friendship and isolation in New York City. White's at his best when his prose linger to detail the scents, pace, and essence of hope, "...the blend of patchouli and boy mud was the most intoxicating scent, the true smell of modernity." The author writes a good sex story, elegant while being honest, sexy without being vapid. Though this story is about so much more than sex. We learn how American awoke from its disgust through to its embrace of the homosexuality of our sisters, friends, partners and sons.
I've finished the book but I can't let its stories go. The stories of Jack keep tumbling over themselves in my mind, spilling into my real life. I've never read a book within 14 hours flat. White knows how to build suspense into his story of unrequited love. The book would be a tragedy were it not for the glow of authenticity intertwining everything. Truth is celebrated. The world does keep on, and more young men will first lust after and then fall for their best friend. And the best friend will fiend ignorance while all the while reveling in the attention, ravenous for the attraction of another whom he respects.
I've finished the book but I can't let its stories go. The stories of Jack keep tumbling over themselves in my mind, spilling into my real life. I've never read a book within 14 hours flat. White knows how to build suspense into his story of unrequited love. The book would be a tragedy were it not for the glow of authenticity intertwining everything. Truth is celebrated. The world does keep on, and more young men will first lust after and then fall for their best friend. And the best friend will fiend ignorance while all the while reveling in the attention, ravenous for the attraction of another whom he respects.
May 19, 2013
This starts out much better than it ends up. Jack Holmes' gay awakening in the sixties is literature mixed with pornography at its finest, complete with ridiculous misapprehensions such as the suggestion that the protagonist was doomed to homosexuality because of his abnormally large penis. It's when we meet Jack Holmes' friend that the novel begins to fall apart, because we eventually shift to Will Wright's perspective full time.
When Will Wright isn't designed Sim games, he's judging gay people as pathetic while failing to acknowledge the failures of his own existence. For almost half of the book we're treated to the dull whine of a man who's unhappy in his marriage, unhappy with his mistress, and unhappy with the only friend he's ever likely to have. Had the book been about Jack the entire time, and had we only known about Will secondhand, this book could have been consistently interesting; why we had to cede the story from the interesting homosexual to the dull pseudo-progressive homophobe-in-denial is a mystery.
Jack Holmes and His Friend becomes a tiresome drone as it progresses, until it finally terminates in two segments of confused and mish-mashed timelines. It would be interesting to know if anyone had ever advanced the theory that homosexual fiction is best read by a heterosexual audience, because here White paints a portrait of homosexuals that few would ever agree with. Everything is presented as fact, as the way "these people" are. But beyond the initial spark of recognition, this reads as a sad descent away from excitement and into an unworthy grave of prejudice.
When Will Wright isn't designed Sim games, he's judging gay people as pathetic while failing to acknowledge the failures of his own existence. For almost half of the book we're treated to the dull whine of a man who's unhappy in his marriage, unhappy with his mistress, and unhappy with the only friend he's ever likely to have. Had the book been about Jack the entire time, and had we only known about Will secondhand, this book could have been consistently interesting; why we had to cede the story from the interesting homosexual to the dull pseudo-progressive homophobe-in-denial is a mystery.
Jack Holmes and His Friend becomes a tiresome drone as it progresses, until it finally terminates in two segments of confused and mish-mashed timelines. It would be interesting to know if anyone had ever advanced the theory that homosexual fiction is best read by a heterosexual audience, because here White paints a portrait of homosexuals that few would ever agree with. Everything is presented as fact, as the way "these people" are. But beyond the initial spark of recognition, this reads as a sad descent away from excitement and into an unworthy grave of prejudice.
November 28, 2018
If I have to summarize this book in one line, it would be : “ an American tale of a gay man in 1950’s New York falls in love with his straight friend and their obnoxiously urge to destroy everybody’s lives including their own”.
In a book like this, its really easy to point of what I didn’t like because their were so many things. The main two characters - Jack Holmes and his friend Will Wright, were highly detestable and evoked at point, want-to-kick-their-ass feeling. The whole book seemed devoid of any feelings or sentiments except lust and incredible ability of creating mess. They don’t value what they have and keep using/abusing other people emotionally. Its full of sex and horny scenes.
What pissed me most was the cultural references ( you can’t even say they were cultural) and absurd details thrown in this book- fifth avenue, sixty-seventh avenue, that restaurant in between 12th and 16th road at 99 avenue, pasta with I-don’t-know sauce, names of so many people who had no particular reason to mention, difficult names of fabric, pillow covers, woods, chairs, curtains, foods, places. Its all so exhausting to read if they are very-very frequently slapped on the pages. I agree that Edmund White can write excellent prose but these things just didn’t work out for me. I wasn’t born in 1950’s New York and I don’t know a single thing.
With all said, you still want to know how the characters end up in the end and that’s what made me to continue reading this book. Its fast paced, well written with not so likable shit-head characters and an ok ok type story.
In a book like this, its really easy to point of what I didn’t like because their were so many things. The main two characters - Jack Holmes and his friend Will Wright, were highly detestable and evoked at point, want-to-kick-their-ass feeling. The whole book seemed devoid of any feelings or sentiments except lust and incredible ability of creating mess. They don’t value what they have and keep using/abusing other people emotionally. Its full of sex and horny scenes.
What pissed me most was the cultural references ( you can’t even say they were cultural) and absurd details thrown in this book- fifth avenue, sixty-seventh avenue, that restaurant in between 12th and 16th road at 99 avenue, pasta with I-don’t-know sauce, names of so many people who had no particular reason to mention, difficult names of fabric, pillow covers, woods, chairs, curtains, foods, places. Its all so exhausting to read if they are very-very frequently slapped on the pages. I agree that Edmund White can write excellent prose but these things just didn’t work out for me. I wasn’t born in 1950’s New York and I don’t know a single thing.
With all said, you still want to know how the characters end up in the end and that’s what made me to continue reading this book. Its fast paced, well written with not so likable shit-head characters and an ok ok type story.
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September 3, 2016I've been a fan of Edmund White ever since reading A Boy's Own Story years ago. I was excited to read a new work by him, and at first I very much liked this new novel, which begins in the point of view of Jack, a college student conflicted about his sexuality. But about halfway through the book shifts to the perspective of his friend, Will, and at that point the book deflates, simply because the voice is no longer artful; Will's sections are written in the 1st person, and though Will is supposedly a novelist himself, the prose is very flat, which made me a) not believe that Will was really a writer, and b) dislike him, for his observations about the world were themselves bland rather than insightful. The story revolves around Jack's unrequited love for Will, so to discover that Will is such a bore, as well as a jerk, warps the story in a way I don't think the author intended. I was eager to return to Jack's point of view and believed in him much more as a character.
The other strange thing about this book is that almost every scene, chapter, plot point revolves around sex--and I could not help thinking that if a woman had written this, it would be shelved as a "women's novel" for focusing on romantic life. But since it's by E. White, it's allowed to be viewed as "literature."
The other strange thing about this book is that almost every scene, chapter, plot point revolves around sex--and I could not help thinking that if a woman had written this, it would be shelved as a "women's novel" for focusing on romantic life. But since it's by E. White, it's allowed to be viewed as "literature."
October 23, 2021
I had so completely cancelled out reading this novel last year that I borrowed it again in July 2014; only after getting a chapter in did I recognize the depressingly familiar plot. _Jack Holmes_ is such a pointless, vapid story, flaccidly told in shifting points of view and featuring callow, self-obsessed characters with tons of affectation but not an ounce of personality (the men are, of course, endowed with all the features of White’s by now tiresome fictional wish fulfillment: beauty, wealth, and big dicks). The ending, in particular, is unfulfilling, and it’s no surprise. After desultorily dragging his characters through years of a stultifying middle-class existence in which not all that much happens to them that wouldn't qualify as self-imposed neurosis, White can’t figure out what to do with them and so leaves them, almost literally, standing on the street. What others call “tight focus,” I call claustrophobia, and his “beautifully delineated characters” only function if you aren’t yet exhausted by reading about bourgeois homosexuals and upwardly mobile New Yorkers in those lazy, hazy, crazy days before AIDS went and spoiled everything.
February 12, 2012
This was a lovely, sad, austere novel. The book is almost 400 pages, yet it felt spare and elegant - always a sign of a talented author and good editor. White writes with a sort of sexual realism, and the parallels between his style and Roth's jumped out at me throughout the novel. That said, there was something pleasantly straightforward and old fashioned about White's prose that is so much pleasing to me than Roth's. As a woman, I enjoyed the sense of voyeurism I got from reading a book that is very much about men and men's complicated relationships. The addition of GRID (gay related immune deficiency, the earliest given medical name for the malady we now know as HIV/AIDS) as nothing but a boogeyman spurring two men towards simple monogamy felt a bit of a throwaway at first; but after I mulled it over I decided it worked in the structure of the novel. Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book.
October 12, 2014
I really wanted this to be good, because I've read some Edmund White, and at the beginning it felt good, because here was that Edmund White again, the master of beautiful comparisons, the one who thought of the sun that "pulsed feebly like the aura of a migraine that doesn't develop" and "the windblown hair intricate as Velasquez's rendering of lace", and all that. But then something falls utterly short in this novel and yet I can't name it. The characters seem to be taken out of a magazine, and it's all glamorous, and sexy, and Catholic, and liberating, and it all ends with the AIDS crisis. I could not sympathize with any of the characters because they seem to be lacking substance, and the point of view shifts from the third person to the first person and back, and that seems to be done just for the sake of artifice. And now it feels like I haven't even read it. Though I do remember some of White's comparisons.
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February 5, 2016Interesting look at straight and gay friendships and their misconceptions about each other and the life that one leads. Jack is in love with his straight best friend where although never consummated, the sexual tension is always on the back burner. White does a good job with the change in narrative ( from third to first and back) in the various parts. Found that more is revealed about the straight man than about Jack who is gay--I would have thought opposite with White as author. Is the relationship abused by Will, or are both getting something out of it? White is a great writer , but didn't find it to be his most successful work. Interested in reading Irving's new book that is supposed to have a bisexual character in it. (In the acknowledgements, White speaks of Irving and him writing there novels at the same time.)
April 10, 2013
If I had to only one word to describe this it would be 'alien'. Not because of the homosexuality but because of the Americanism. Much of the time I wondered if it wasn't intended to be tongue in cheek, an exaggeration of all that I, as a Brit, find least appealing about Americans - the preoccupation with appearance, with self-fulfilment (at all levels) and the matter-of-fact reliance on therapists. One reference, intended as an example of Jack's many virtues, to him having three big green plants which he remembered to water, seemed ludicrous. Jack, Will and Alex were all such tediously unpleasant people that I was glad to reach the end of them (perhaps the writer was too - it all felt a bit rushed) and only the writing itself rescued it from a one star.
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