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In Tongues
A young gay man upends the lives of a powerful art-world couple in this steamy novel of self-discovery.
It’s 2001, and twenty-four-year-old Gordon―handsome, sensitive, and eager for direction―takes a bus from Minnesota to New York City because it’s the only place for a young gay man to go. As he begins to settle into the city’s punishing rhythm, he gets a job walking rich Manhattanites’ dogs. But it isn’t until he stumbles into the West Village brownstone of two of his clients, the powerful gallery owners Phillip and Nicola, that Gordon learns how much the world has hidden from him―and what he’s capable of doing in order to get it for himself.
A lush, heart-quickening novel about family and art, sex and class, and the terror of self-discovery, Thomas Grattan’s In Tongues chronicles Gordon’s perilous pursuit of belonging from the Midwest to New York and, later, to Europe and Mexico City. As he floats further into Phillip and Nicola’s exclusive universe, and as lines blur between employee, muse, lover, and mentor, Gordon’s charm, manipulation, and growing ambition begin to escape his own control, in turn threatening to unravel the lives, and lies, of those around him.
Anchored by winsome lyricism, glinting intellect, and a main character whose yearnings and mistakes come to feel like our own, In Tongues crackles with fierce longing and pointed emotion, further confirming Grattan as a rare chronicler of young adulthood’s joys and devastations.
It’s 2001, and twenty-four-year-old Gordon―handsome, sensitive, and eager for direction―takes a bus from Minnesota to New York City because it’s the only place for a young gay man to go. As he begins to settle into the city’s punishing rhythm, he gets a job walking rich Manhattanites’ dogs. But it isn’t until he stumbles into the West Village brownstone of two of his clients, the powerful gallery owners Phillip and Nicola, that Gordon learns how much the world has hidden from him―and what he’s capable of doing in order to get it for himself.
A lush, heart-quickening novel about family and art, sex and class, and the terror of self-discovery, Thomas Grattan’s In Tongues chronicles Gordon’s perilous pursuit of belonging from the Midwest to New York and, later, to Europe and Mexico City. As he floats further into Phillip and Nicola’s exclusive universe, and as lines blur between employee, muse, lover, and mentor, Gordon’s charm, manipulation, and growing ambition begin to escape his own control, in turn threatening to unravel the lives, and lies, of those around him.
Anchored by winsome lyricism, glinting intellect, and a main character whose yearnings and mistakes come to feel like our own, In Tongues crackles with fierce longing and pointed emotion, further confirming Grattan as a rare chronicler of young adulthood’s joys and devastations.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2024
269 people are currently reading
17523 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Grattan
3 books140 followersNot to be confused with Thomas Colley Grattan
Thomas Grattan's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including One Story, Slice, and The Colorado Review, has been shortlisted for a Pushcart Prize, and was listed as a notable stories in Best American Short Stories. He has an MFA in Fiction Writing from Brooklyn College and has taught middle school English for more than a decade. He lives in New York City.
Thomas Grattan's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including One Story, Slice, and The Colorado Review, has been shortlisted for a Pushcart Prize, and was listed as a notable stories in Best American Short Stories. He has an MFA in Fiction Writing from Brooklyn College and has taught middle school English for more than a decade. He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 852 reviews
June 1, 2024
In Tongues is one of those rare slice-of-life novels that exceeded my expectations at every turn - with every passage, character, and scene so real and true, I couldn't put it down. I don’t think I’ve read a queer lit fic novel quite like this and I feel like it's a book I've been waiting my whole life to read.
The narrative focuses mainly on the daily, ordinary events and relationships that shape a life: subtle dramas and tensions; messy decisions that lead from one event to the next; finding out about the kindness and cruelty of other people - and also of ourselves. This book needed no superb drama, dark humor, or wild plot points because it so perfectly and precisely reflects the stuff of life itself. Thomas Grattan writes in prose so crisp, complex, and nuanced, that there was no stopping me from turning the pages to find out what was happening next.
In the novel we follow Gordon, a young gay man who gives up his life in the Midwest during the early aughts to start again in NYC. As he discovers an unforgiving city threatening to swallow him whole, he joins in new circles of friends, employers, and lovers that change the trajectory of his life. As he fumbles his way through these new worlds and relationships, he makes very human, yet very questionable choices. Gordon was one of the most real and complex narrators I've had the pleasure of reading in a while.
Absorbing and atmospheric, this novel focuses on the tensions between what the people around us want vs. what we want for ourselves, family and chosen family, the limits of love and care, the influence of other people on our lives, whether we are the hero or villain in the story of our lives, and so much more. A subtle, profound, and quietly melancholic reading experience.
Thank you to the folks over at FSG & the author for access to the digital arc on NetGalley.
The narrative focuses mainly on the daily, ordinary events and relationships that shape a life: subtle dramas and tensions; messy decisions that lead from one event to the next; finding out about the kindness and cruelty of other people - and also of ourselves. This book needed no superb drama, dark humor, or wild plot points because it so perfectly and precisely reflects the stuff of life itself. Thomas Grattan writes in prose so crisp, complex, and nuanced, that there was no stopping me from turning the pages to find out what was happening next.
In the novel we follow Gordon, a young gay man who gives up his life in the Midwest during the early aughts to start again in NYC. As he discovers an unforgiving city threatening to swallow him whole, he joins in new circles of friends, employers, and lovers that change the trajectory of his life. As he fumbles his way through these new worlds and relationships, he makes very human, yet very questionable choices. Gordon was one of the most real and complex narrators I've had the pleasure of reading in a while.
Absorbing and atmospheric, this novel focuses on the tensions between what the people around us want vs. what we want for ourselves, family and chosen family, the limits of love and care, the influence of other people on our lives, whether we are the hero or villain in the story of our lives, and so much more. A subtle, profound, and quietly melancholic reading experience.
Thank you to the folks over at FSG & the author for access to the digital arc on NetGalley.
November 26, 2024
3.5 stars
Went back and forth between rounding this up to four or down to three and decided on four. The novel follows Gordon, a 24-year-old conventionally attractive white man who moves from Minnesota to New York City in 2001, in search of a different life. Directionless and somewhat naïve, he takes on a job with Nicola and Philip, two powerful gallery owners who introduce him to what a wealthy lifestyle could look like. Gordon’s relationship with these two men shifts and morphs as Gordon starts and stumbles into discovering himself.
I’ll start with a positive which is that I found the prose in this novel smooth, easy to read, and engaging. I didn’t want to skip through any passages and enjoyed that Thomas Grattan’s writing felt both light yet able to convey sincere emotion.
Some of the things I didn’t love – a large chunk of this novel was watching Gordon make continually self-destructive decisions while being mistreated by older men with money. It’s a little hard to critique because in real life people do make self-destructive decisions, and in real life older men with money do mistreat people. But there was something in the repetition of Gordon’s decision-making (e.g., deprioritizing a female friend who somehow finds the heart to forgive him, a common trope in literature about gay men) that was annoying and really made me lean toward three stars for most of my reading experience. I also don’t think Nicola and Philip were really held accountable for their abuse of power (both related to age and money), even though it’s not like I was expecting some grand condemnation of wealthy white men taking advantage of people. Finally, there’s casual fatphobia in this novel especially in its first half, which is perhaps fitting given that Gordon and those around him are shallow, but, be warned.
All that said, I do feel like Grattan did a nice job of showing Gordon’s growth as a person toward the end of the book. Gordon’s development felt subtle and realistic, yet hopeful. It’s interesting for me to read other people’s critiques of Gordon as a passive character – my take is that Grattan demonstrates that some people are just more passive or dependent on other people for decision-making, yet these people can grow too.
Anyway, clearly I was engaged enough by this novel to write this much about it. While I’d say I liked the book, I can also totally see why some would rate it lower than I did. I don’t see In Tongues making my top ten end of the year list though I also may still recommend it to those interested in its synopsis.
Went back and forth between rounding this up to four or down to three and decided on four. The novel follows Gordon, a 24-year-old conventionally attractive white man who moves from Minnesota to New York City in 2001, in search of a different life. Directionless and somewhat naïve, he takes on a job with Nicola and Philip, two powerful gallery owners who introduce him to what a wealthy lifestyle could look like. Gordon’s relationship with these two men shifts and morphs as Gordon starts and stumbles into discovering himself.
I’ll start with a positive which is that I found the prose in this novel smooth, easy to read, and engaging. I didn’t want to skip through any passages and enjoyed that Thomas Grattan’s writing felt both light yet able to convey sincere emotion.
Some of the things I didn’t love – a large chunk of this novel was watching Gordon make continually self-destructive decisions while being mistreated by older men with money. It’s a little hard to critique because in real life people do make self-destructive decisions, and in real life older men with money do mistreat people. But there was something in the repetition of Gordon’s decision-making (e.g., deprioritizing a female friend who somehow finds the heart to forgive him, a common trope in literature about gay men) that was annoying and really made me lean toward three stars for most of my reading experience. I also don’t think Nicola and Philip were really held accountable for their abuse of power (both related to age and money), even though it’s not like I was expecting some grand condemnation of wealthy white men taking advantage of people. Finally, there’s casual fatphobia in this novel especially in its first half, which is perhaps fitting given that Gordon and those around him are shallow, but, be warned.
All that said, I do feel like Grattan did a nice job of showing Gordon’s growth as a person toward the end of the book. Gordon’s development felt subtle and realistic, yet hopeful. It’s interesting for me to read other people’s critiques of Gordon as a passive character – my take is that Grattan demonstrates that some people are just more passive or dependent on other people for decision-making, yet these people can grow too.
Anyway, clearly I was engaged enough by this novel to write this much about it. While I’d say I liked the book, I can also totally see why some would rate it lower than I did. I don’t see In Tongues making my top ten end of the year list though I also may still recommend it to those interested in its synopsis.
September 6, 2024
i have this totally underrated talent of always picking the worst possible audiobooks with my precious audible credit
January 2, 2025
A novel about the most dangerous thing in the world: not knowing what you want. If you're lucky, someone will take care of you (see the cover). If you're unlucky, someone will take advantage of you. Gordon's path is full of mistakes, but at least he is trying, and for that, I enjoyed his journey despite the fact that the plot lacks clarity and precision. It just made sense for this story.
June 27, 2024
This was incredibly beautiful, raw, real, and deeply melancholic. We are following Gordon as he relives the wild days of his youth, the time he hopped on a bus after a breakup and ended up in New York alone, heartbroken, and yearning for connection. Gordon's unease, loneliness, and drive to feel seen and be loved are so intense they eclipse anything as paltry as safety or common sense. He's self-absorbed and a bit mean and reckless to a fault, but he's also caring and earnest and eager.
We watch as he meets his best friend, Janice, quits his first job in the city, and gets hired as a dog walker for a wealthy gay couple—opening up doors he didn't even know existed.
What follows is a journey and a reckoning, coming of age and coming to terms with who you are and how your actions build your life, bit by bit.
I loved the flawed, sharp, messy characters and the relationships that ranged from perfunctory and cold to deeply realized and enduring.
His relationship with was such a pleasant and wholesome surprise; their time together in Europe as the Twin Towers fell and their stolen moments a decade later made me weep. What they had was such a deep platonic intimacy, a love and care and understanding we all hope to find. In many ways, replaced Gordon's father, something that Gordon deeply needed - his father having passed away in spirit, if not in body, many years before, and ultimately choosing his religion over his son in a final burst of homophobia.
In Tongues was a tour de force—engrossing and emotional with so many beautiful pockets of prose. I've been struck dumb.
Representation: MC is gay, his roommate and best friend is a lesbian, her girlfriend is a lesbian (mention of their eventual transition briefly on page), he works for a gay couple, gay sex on the page
Trigger/Content Warnings: drug use, sexual harassment, neglect, homophobia, child abuse, corporal punishment, infidelity, fatal car crash, child death, misogyny
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Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
We watch as he meets his best friend, Janice, quits his first job in the city, and gets hired as a dog walker for a wealthy gay couple—opening up doors he didn't even know existed.
What follows is a journey and a reckoning, coming of age and coming to terms with who you are and how your actions build your life, bit by bit.
I loved the flawed, sharp, messy characters and the relationships that ranged from perfunctory and cold to deeply realized and enduring.
His relationship with was such a pleasant and wholesome surprise; their time together in Europe as the Twin Towers fell and their stolen moments a decade later made me weep. What they had was such a deep platonic intimacy, a love and care and understanding we all hope to find. In many ways, replaced Gordon's father, something that Gordon deeply needed - his father having passed away in spirit, if not in body, many years before, and ultimately choosing his religion over his son in a final burst of homophobia.
In Tongues was a tour de force—engrossing and emotional with so many beautiful pockets of prose. I've been struck dumb.
Representation: MC is gay, his roommate and best friend is a lesbian, her girlfriend is a lesbian (mention of their eventual transition briefly on page), he works for a gay couple, gay sex on the page
Trigger/Content Warnings: drug use, sexual harassment, neglect, homophobia, child abuse, corporal punishment, infidelity, fatal car crash, child death, misogyny
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
May 12, 2024
In Tongues captures the listless and transient nature of NYC in your early 20s, which is already a niche well-explored in literary fiction. Combined with a very apolitical lens of gay culture in the late 90s, one-dimensional characters and a meandering plot, this just didn’t catch my attention. I didn’t hate my time with it, but it feels like a book I won’t remember in a month.
As a protagonist Gordon didn’t have a sense of identity for me - his passive nature and lack of ambition make it difficult for him to emerge from the wide cast of secondary characters with any discernible traits. He wanders from one opportunity to the next and has no real sense of loyalty, which made him fairly unlikeable to me. I don’t dislike unlikeable narrators, but he didn’t feel like one I understood or found myself intrigued by.
The writing feels timid and cautious in this, like it’s trying to appease everyone by only going halfway with most storylines. It kept pivoting between disjoint story arcs that added little to the narrative, and the result is a book that lacks identity. Every character has the same voice and perspective, and there’s a lacking sense of cohesion to the storytelling. I also loathed the ending.
Overall, I appreciate slice-of-life literary fiction but this felt very average and forgettable. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
As a protagonist Gordon didn’t have a sense of identity for me - his passive nature and lack of ambition make it difficult for him to emerge from the wide cast of secondary characters with any discernible traits. He wanders from one opportunity to the next and has no real sense of loyalty, which made him fairly unlikeable to me. I don’t dislike unlikeable narrators, but he didn’t feel like one I understood or found myself intrigued by.
The writing feels timid and cautious in this, like it’s trying to appease everyone by only going halfway with most storylines. It kept pivoting between disjoint story arcs that added little to the narrative, and the result is a book that lacks identity. Every character has the same voice and perspective, and there’s a lacking sense of cohesion to the storytelling. I also loathed the ending.
Overall, I appreciate slice-of-life literary fiction but this felt very average and forgettable. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
December 2, 2024
nicely written and has a good scenario but it doesn't really go anywhere
March 14, 2024
I haven't been so affected by a novel in a long time. Gordon is an anxious, directionless gay college-dropout. After a breakup, he decides on a whim to leave Minnesota and get on a bus to New York City. At first, he works in a grocery where his taciturn boss, for some reason, goes by the name of Thor. After hitting it up with lesbian bartender who gives him free beers and allows him to live with her, Gordon then finds a quixotic job as a dog-sitter, something which eventually transforms into a more nebulous job as personal assistant to two older gay men. He sits as a model for a self-absorbed painter, holds raging parties in a luxurious apartment, has an affair with a German waiter, chases a paramour to Mexico. Gordon is a disaster, hopping from job to job, friend to friend, cruising in the park, and kissing and making love with anyone who shows interest, often more as an act of service than out of sexual attraction. All the while, he receives desperate, nostalgic emails from his fanatically evangelical father who has recently suffered a heart attack. But as with all the people in his life, Gordon can't figure out how to communicate. As the emails pile up in his inbox, he drafts half of a reply and then gives up. He is paralyzed by anything that requires emotional candor. Sex is the easiest form of sincerity which he can understand.
But this is not a melodramatic novel. Thomas Grattan's voice is masterful. Gordon is ironic, silly and sassy, always wisecracking (perhaps as a way to deflect from heartbreak). In so many ways, it's a familiar story—gay kid runs to New York, struggles with his relationship with his judgmental father, throws himself into casual sex—yet Grattan narrates it with a winning combination of goofy quirkiness and poignance. In its picaresque style, the novel reminds me of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" but in its acutely wry humor, a zany narrative of a gay man haphazardly trying to figure out a future, piecing together odd jobs, I am also reminded of Andrew Greer's "Less" and Emily Austin's "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead". What I particularly liked in this novel (and which I don't see in many queer novels) is how it captures the strange relationships between old and young gay men—the tension between affinity and attraction, recognition and repulsion—older men who want and want to help younger men, whose service to the next generation is subconsciously both paternal and prurient, younger men who relish being desired and appreciate being remunerated as well (though maybe don't reciprocate the desire). Gordon has to figure out—with all the queer people in his life—who really deserves his love and what love should look like. I was moved by the ending, a touching, tragic moment.
But this is not a melodramatic novel. Thomas Grattan's voice is masterful. Gordon is ironic, silly and sassy, always wisecracking (perhaps as a way to deflect from heartbreak). In so many ways, it's a familiar story—gay kid runs to New York, struggles with his relationship with his judgmental father, throws himself into casual sex—yet Grattan narrates it with a winning combination of goofy quirkiness and poignance. In its picaresque style, the novel reminds me of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" but in its acutely wry humor, a zany narrative of a gay man haphazardly trying to figure out a future, piecing together odd jobs, I am also reminded of Andrew Greer's "Less" and Emily Austin's "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead". What I particularly liked in this novel (and which I don't see in many queer novels) is how it captures the strange relationships between old and young gay men—the tension between affinity and attraction, recognition and repulsion—older men who want and want to help younger men, whose service to the next generation is subconsciously both paternal and prurient, younger men who relish being desired and appreciate being remunerated as well (though maybe don't reciprocate the desire). Gordon has to figure out—with all the queer people in his life—who really deserves his love and what love should look like. I was moved by the ending, a touching, tragic moment.
September 27, 2025
Smart, fun, very gay, very New York.
July 23, 2024
Happy Pride Month!
Wow. In Tongues is literary fiction at its best. Thomas Grattan has crafted a story that is completely readable start to finish that never overstays its welcome. We follow Gordon, a young gay man who is new to New York City in the early 2000s, where after some luck begins walking dogs for an affluent gay couple. From there, we learn more about him, why he makes the decisions he does, and the people who use him and fall in love with his presence.
Where books with MCs constantly make bad decisions aren’t usually my thing — Emma Cline’s The Guest comes to mind — In Tongues presents more layers and is narratively more interesting. Check it out if the blurb or if this review has piqued even the smallest of interest.
Wow. In Tongues is literary fiction at its best. Thomas Grattan has crafted a story that is completely readable start to finish that never overstays its welcome. We follow Gordon, a young gay man who is new to New York City in the early 2000s, where after some luck begins walking dogs for an affluent gay couple. From there, we learn more about him, why he makes the decisions he does, and the people who use him and fall in love with his presence.
Where books with MCs constantly make bad decisions aren’t usually my thing — Emma Cline’s The Guest comes to mind — In Tongues presents more layers and is narratively more interesting. Check it out if the blurb or if this review has piqued even the smallest of interest.
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December 25, 2025Source of book: NetGalley
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
****
Oh God, I accidentally read another sad, well sad-ish, queer book. Maybe wistful is a better word? Thankfully, In Tongues was still quite a change of pace from Cinema Love. Best described as queer bildungsroman, it’s one of those “young and useless, hot and gay, in pre 9/11 NYC” stories that seem weirdly prevalent. Like never mind I’m British, and a generation behind, I always feel I’ve somehow failed at queer by not having fucked around in directionless self-loathing during the right time period in NYC. I mean, I’ve definitely fucked around in directionless self-loathing but it’s somehow way less cool if you do it in Huddersfield or something.
Anyway, In Tongues is narrated by Gordon, very much in his fucking around in directionless self-loathing era. Having dropped out of university and been dumped by his boyfriend, he steals £200 from said boyfriend, and gets on a bus to New York. There he drifts around aimlessly until eventually he strikes up a friendship with lesbian and gets a job as a dog-walker for rich Manhattanites. This new job brings him into the orbit of older gay power couple, seventy-ish Philip (refined, aloof, cantankerous but kind), and 50-something Nicola (vain, catty, promiscuous, jealous). The arc develops broadly as you’d expect: Gordon gradually grows closer to them, then it all goes horribly wrong. The end.
I started off feeling pretty ambiguous about the book, to be honest. I think it might be because I’m closer to Philip-and-Nichola then I am to Gordon, which is a shock to both my system and my vanity, that I have yet to come to terms with. And also my patience for stories about clueless baby sadgays has apparently hit a nadir it may never recover from.
Except.
Except … somehow, despite Gordon being frustrating for most of the book (in quite a deliberate way, I hasten to add), this ended up being intensely moving to me? And I’m slightly irked by that because I can’t tell if I was grossly manipulated or, like, the book was good--though I think, out of a sense of fairness, I’m erring on the side of the book being good. Obviously I’m being facetious here. Whether a book is good or not is hugely subjective and, to a large degree, irrelevant. It’s more like, are you here for what a book is doing, and do you feel what it was trying to do it did, in fact, do successfully. So in this case, I wasn’t hugely hugely for what In Tongues was doing, but it did it extremely well, ergo, I ended up being here for it.
Despite being in a period of his life mostly defined by mistakes he’ll look back on (this is a whole theme), there is just enough to Gordon that--despite his self-conscious passivity, his immaturity, his lack of self-awareness and awareness in general--that I ended up … liking him? caring about him? not completely resenting being in his head for the whole book? Gordon is, or at least, can be charming but it emerges almost exclusively through direct dialogue--which captures rather beautifully the unselfconscious nature of youthful charm. And it helps too, I think, that he’s narrating this story from a future point--which we learn more about at the end of the story--which infuses his voice a certain wryness:
At its heart, this is a story about youth and age, and about what we value, and if we’re valuing the right things. I occasionally wished Nicola had a bit more dimensionality to him, since he’s mostly just catty, jealous, and hotter than his older husband. But I think there’s sympathy in his positioning if not directly in his characterisation: he’s caught in this odd moment between youth and age, not so old he isn’t still a sexual prize, but not young enough to be pursued like one, and he can see his own future in Philip’s gradual decline into queered irrelevance (despite his wealth, charm, sophistication and erudition). That would drive anyone a bit catty. And what choice does he have, really, when so much of his life and self-esteem has been built around his sense of his beauty and desirability. Just as we can assume Nicola sees a shadow of his future in Philip, perhaps can Gordon can see his own in Nicola:
But, ultimately, Philip and Nicola also represent choices for Gordon. Not only about what he values in others, but what he can value in himself. While In Tongues is not the kind of book to end on an unabashedly happy note--it’s hard not to ache for the sadness of lost moments, of missing opportunities, as the same as we acknowledge their inevitability, losing things and missing things is part of growing up--there is something rather lovely about where Gordon’s directionless life eventually leads him. The lessons he has learned on his way. The idea that it’s possible to affect the world in small positive ways not because of any essential goodness or greatness in ourselves but because we can choose to.
And, yes, I did post this on Xmas day. Because that's how I roll. (I do really want to clear at least some of my reviewing backlog before 2026).
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
****
Oh God, I accidentally read another sad, well sad-ish, queer book. Maybe wistful is a better word? Thankfully, In Tongues was still quite a change of pace from Cinema Love. Best described as queer bildungsroman, it’s one of those “young and useless, hot and gay, in pre 9/11 NYC” stories that seem weirdly prevalent. Like never mind I’m British, and a generation behind, I always feel I’ve somehow failed at queer by not having fucked around in directionless self-loathing during the right time period in NYC. I mean, I’ve definitely fucked around in directionless self-loathing but it’s somehow way less cool if you do it in Huddersfield or something.
Anyway, In Tongues is narrated by Gordon, very much in his fucking around in directionless self-loathing era. Having dropped out of university and been dumped by his boyfriend, he steals £200 from said boyfriend, and gets on a bus to New York. There he drifts around aimlessly until eventually he strikes up a friendship with lesbian and gets a job as a dog-walker for rich Manhattanites. This new job brings him into the orbit of older gay power couple, seventy-ish Philip (refined, aloof, cantankerous but kind), and 50-something Nicola (vain, catty, promiscuous, jealous). The arc develops broadly as you’d expect: Gordon gradually grows closer to them, then it all goes horribly wrong. The end.
I started off feeling pretty ambiguous about the book, to be honest. I think it might be because I’m closer to Philip-and-Nichola then I am to Gordon, which is a shock to both my system and my vanity, that I have yet to come to terms with. And also my patience for stories about clueless baby sadgays has apparently hit a nadir it may never recover from.
Except.
Except … somehow, despite Gordon being frustrating for most of the book (in quite a deliberate way, I hasten to add), this ended up being intensely moving to me? And I’m slightly irked by that because I can’t tell if I was grossly manipulated or, like, the book was good--though I think, out of a sense of fairness, I’m erring on the side of the book being good. Obviously I’m being facetious here. Whether a book is good or not is hugely subjective and, to a large degree, irrelevant. It’s more like, are you here for what a book is doing, and do you feel what it was trying to do it did, in fact, do successfully. So in this case, I wasn’t hugely hugely for what In Tongues was doing, but it did it extremely well, ergo, I ended up being here for it.
Despite being in a period of his life mostly defined by mistakes he’ll look back on (this is a whole theme), there is just enough to Gordon that--despite his self-conscious passivity, his immaturity, his lack of self-awareness and awareness in general--that I ended up … liking him? caring about him? not completely resenting being in his head for the whole book? Gordon is, or at least, can be charming but it emerges almost exclusively through direct dialogue--which captures rather beautifully the unselfconscious nature of youthful charm. And it helps too, I think, that he’s narrating this story from a future point--which we learn more about at the end of the story--which infuses his voice a certain wryness:
I looked over. He looked back, giving me the attention I always wanted then, still do, I suppose.
At its heart, this is a story about youth and age, and about what we value, and if we’re valuing the right things. I occasionally wished Nicola had a bit more dimensionality to him, since he’s mostly just catty, jealous, and hotter than his older husband. But I think there’s sympathy in his positioning if not directly in his characterisation: he’s caught in this odd moment between youth and age, not so old he isn’t still a sexual prize, but not young enough to be pursued like one, and he can see his own future in Philip’s gradual decline into queered irrelevance (despite his wealth, charm, sophistication and erudition). That would drive anyone a bit catty. And what choice does he have, really, when so much of his life and self-esteem has been built around his sense of his beauty and desirability. Just as we can assume Nicola sees a shadow of his future in Philip, perhaps can Gordon can see his own in Nicola:
Nicola […] looked at me like I was a precious mineral. I wanted to be that. Wanted, too, not to need his look to authenticate my value.
But, ultimately, Philip and Nicola also represent choices for Gordon. Not only about what he values in others, but what he can value in himself. While In Tongues is not the kind of book to end on an unabashedly happy note--it’s hard not to ache for the sadness of lost moments, of missing opportunities, as the same as we acknowledge their inevitability, losing things and missing things is part of growing up--there is something rather lovely about where Gordon’s directionless life eventually leads him. The lessons he has learned on his way. The idea that it’s possible to affect the world in small positive ways not because of any essential goodness or greatness in ourselves but because we can choose to.
While people talk about this job as a calling, for me it’s truer to say that it fulfils a need I have for motion, a satisfaction in tackling tasks that matter, with a clear beginning and end.
And, yes, I did post this on Xmas day. Because that's how I roll. (I do really want to clear at least some of my reviewing backlog before 2026).
September 20, 2024
4/5
Nebūtinai labai ilgam įsimintinas, bet gražiai, emocingai, prasmingai parašytas LGBTQ+ pasakojimas, vienas tų „gėjus Niujorke“ tipo, kurių jau esu skaičiusi daugybę ir kurie dažnai labai panašūs į vienas kitą, nes panašios patirtys, bet tuo pačiu skiriasi taip pat labai, kaip ir žmonės. Panašumas kupinas krikščioniškos kaltės, čia išreiškiamos dar per santykį su religingu tėvu, skausmo, kurio ir ieškai, ir nuo kurio bėgi, atsitiktinio sekso ir neatsitiktinių emocijų, kurios vienu metu ir užgniaužtos, išreiškiamos tarsi elegantiškai ramiai, bet iš tiesų yra tik dar viena gėdos forma. Tuo pačiu čia daug kitos šeimos kūrimo per draugystes, pasimetimo savyje ir gyvenime, mažų didelių atradimų – maiste, patirtyse, miestuose, drabužiuose, darbų pasikeitimuose, pažintyse, mene. Ir šunyse, žinoma. Labai patiko kaip autorius sužaidė pavadinimu o tuomet dizaineris sužaidė viršeliu. Puikūs ir įsimintini abu.
Neišvengiama tragizmo, kaip neišvengiama, kalbant apie LGBTQ+ Niujorke, nepaliesti AIDS temos, bet net ir šioje temoje emocijos nesproginėja ir tai „In tongues“ tobulai tinka, puikiai atsveria tas sproginėjančiai tragiškas LGBTQ+ istorijas. Šiuo atveju autorius vis tiek viltingas ir tai – malonus linktelėjimas skaitytojui, malonus linktelėjimas visai bendruomenei. Džiugino tiek kokybiškai, pilnavertiškai išpildyti veikėjai, tiek jų santykių peripetijos, turbūt mums Lietuvoje gana tolimos, bet vis tiek suprantamos, nes rezultatai – žmogiški ir gal net neišvengiami.
Nebūtinai labai ilgam įsimintinas, bet gražiai, emocingai, prasmingai parašytas LGBTQ+ pasakojimas, vienas tų „gėjus Niujorke“ tipo, kurių jau esu skaičiusi daugybę ir kurie dažnai labai panašūs į vienas kitą, nes panašios patirtys, bet tuo pačiu skiriasi taip pat labai, kaip ir žmonės. Panašumas kupinas krikščioniškos kaltės, čia išreiškiamos dar per santykį su religingu tėvu, skausmo, kurio ir ieškai, ir nuo kurio bėgi, atsitiktinio sekso ir neatsitiktinių emocijų, kurios vienu metu ir užgniaužtos, išreiškiamos tarsi elegantiškai ramiai, bet iš tiesų yra tik dar viena gėdos forma. Tuo pačiu čia daug kitos šeimos kūrimo per draugystes, pasimetimo savyje ir gyvenime, mažų didelių atradimų – maiste, patirtyse, miestuose, drabužiuose, darbų pasikeitimuose, pažintyse, mene. Ir šunyse, žinoma. Labai patiko kaip autorius sužaidė pavadinimu o tuomet dizaineris sužaidė viršeliu. Puikūs ir įsimintini abu.
Neišvengiama tragizmo, kaip neišvengiama, kalbant apie LGBTQ+ Niujorke, nepaliesti AIDS temos, bet net ir šioje temoje emocijos nesproginėja ir tai „In tongues“ tobulai tinka, puikiai atsveria tas sproginėjančiai tragiškas LGBTQ+ istorijas. Šiuo atveju autorius vis tiek viltingas ir tai – malonus linktelėjimas skaitytojui, malonus linktelėjimas visai bendruomenei. Džiugino tiek kokybiškai, pilnavertiškai išpildyti veikėjai, tiek jų santykių peripetijos, turbūt mums Lietuvoje gana tolimos, bet vis tiek suprantamos, nes rezultatai – žmogiški ir gal net neišvengiami.
January 22, 2025
I devoured this book. Two sittings. It was intense. Gordon's story of wanting more was so beautifully wrought by Grattan in this tale moored to the liminal year of 2001. Gordon, a dropout on so many levels, gets the chance to see beyond his impoverished Midwest upbringing into the upper echelon of gay society. What he finds there was such a gut wrenching tale of self-realization that I caught myself wincing multiple times throughout the pages.
Gordon is not sympathetic. Gordon makes dumb missteps and bonehead decisions about friends, family, and acquaintances. Gordon is all of us, or at least me, when I was younger—at least in small ways that make his character one that I could ultimately empathize with.
Grattan weaves a tale where the final section feels like a triumphant parade despite being quiet in its revelatory glory. I loved this book, and will certainly be reading Grattan's works for the years to come. Five stars.
***Note: I received an ARC of this novel from Farrar, Straus and Giroux | MCD and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.***
Gordon is not sympathetic. Gordon makes dumb missteps and bonehead decisions about friends, family, and acquaintances. Gordon is all of us, or at least me, when I was younger—at least in small ways that make his character one that I could ultimately empathize with.
Grattan weaves a tale where the final section feels like a triumphant parade despite being quiet in its revelatory glory. I loved this book, and will certainly be reading Grattan's works for the years to come. Five stars.
***Note: I received an ARC of this novel from Farrar, Straus and Giroux | MCD and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.***
August 6, 2024
In Tongues, I have never read a book like you before. If you're choosing your next read and this is on your TBR -- look no further, and pick this one up. It's lyrical, it's cerebral, it's funny, it's painful.
"I was thrilled to be noticed, even by men I had no interest in."
"There was a heightened quality to being noticed that I coveted."
"I wanted exactly that, people up at night wondering about my finances and feelings."
At its core, In Tongues is a novel about being seen. It's about feeling valued, and feeling like we have a purpose. It explores the lengths we'll go to in search of the high of that validation -- often to the point that (like Gordon) we lose sight of what's actually important to us.
Gordon's father treated him like he was never enough, and like he was a disgrace. His mother was apathetic and distant. So of course he's starved for attention. Of course it'll be earth-shattering when other people start to need him. Of course he'll take the verbal abuse and manipulation in stride if it means he gets to feel acknowledged.
Seeing Gordon internalize and take to heart the opinions of the other characters in the book was so heartbreaking -- with those negative opinions often coming from the rich and the elite -- and their warped sense of self-importance.
Watching Gordon's journey of finding himself was filled with so many emotional peaks and valleys. He's complex, he's genuine, he's relatable. He's one of my favorite protagonists in recent memory.
I simply could not put this book down. The writing is spectacular -- Thomas Grattan digs deep into the topics of loneliness, self-worth, family, and identity in a novel that is memorable and affecting.
This is easily within the top 5 books I've read so far in 2024.
"I was thrilled to be noticed, even by men I had no interest in."
"There was a heightened quality to being noticed that I coveted."
"I wanted exactly that, people up at night wondering about my finances and feelings."
At its core, In Tongues is a novel about being seen. It's about feeling valued, and feeling like we have a purpose. It explores the lengths we'll go to in search of the high of that validation -- often to the point that (like Gordon) we lose sight of what's actually important to us.
Gordon's father treated him like he was never enough, and like he was a disgrace. His mother was apathetic and distant. So of course he's starved for attention. Of course it'll be earth-shattering when other people start to need him. Of course he'll take the verbal abuse and manipulation in stride if it means he gets to feel acknowledged.
Seeing Gordon internalize and take to heart the opinions of the other characters in the book was so heartbreaking -- with those negative opinions often coming from the rich and the elite -- and their warped sense of self-importance.
Watching Gordon's journey of finding himself was filled with so many emotional peaks and valleys. He's complex, he's genuine, he's relatable. He's one of my favorite protagonists in recent memory.
I simply could not put this book down. The writing is spectacular -- Thomas Grattan digs deep into the topics of loneliness, self-worth, family, and identity in a novel that is memorable and affecting.
This is easily within the top 5 books I've read so far in 2024.
November 14, 2023
Grattan continues with his rather apolitical aesthetics in his second novel. What I disliked in his The Recent East is to be found here as well - the focus on individual and his decisions without much attention to the wider economic and political context. What Grattan loses in pollical acuity and urgency, as he necessarily does grounding his characters in an all too American neoliberal individualism, he somewhat recuperates with his style. In In Tongues, the style is elastic, for a want of a better word, forcing the narrative long into the future just to snap back the reader into the characters' present. Elasticity does work its charm, despite the utterly irritating myopia of the main character, which again just mirrors the individualism that serves as an overall aesthetic framework for Grattan. I'd love to see him write a political gay novel. This sounds like a redundancy as every gay novel is a political novel, or so we've been taught, but it stopped being so awhile ago. A lot of stuff in gayness has been depoliticized so it could turn marketable. Hence the need for more political gay novels, as simple descriptions of imaginary lives of (white) gay men (in New York) do not make it so any longer.
November 22, 2024
Funny, frustrating, and elegantly written, IN TONGUES transcribes the untethered and messy journey of Gordon, a young queer man deeply in his 20s! What makes this novel so biting and fascinating are the scenes between working class Gordon and his wealthy employers and their friends. Gordon broke my heart because I recognized in him the version of myself, my young self, who desired so much the attention and adoration of others, which I never received because I wanted it too desperately. A smart and sometimes melancholy social novel.
May 16, 2024
Sometimes I read a literary fiction book and the plot and the characters - not that they don’t matter, but the writing is so exquisite the story takes you on this journey and it’s so easy to read. We often don’t talk about how sometimes books are easy to read or not easy to read. In Tongues reads like a perfect mountain stream. Flows so smoothly you get to the end before you even realize you’re there. I love the character. I love the story. Always a lovely surprise.
Read
August 6, 2024i was going to come on here announcing that i am about to be a snob and nothing is good enough for me as if i do not do that every single day of my life. but contemporary fiction is so content with saying nothing. not to be like other girls but my soul requires nourishment, my enclosure, enrichment, etc. if you write a queer novel and it's apolitical you did it wrong
June 10, 2024
All I can say is that on my way home I let three different trains pass me just so I could stay on the platform and finish reading this book, tears in my eyes (but also laughing?)
I loved this book beyond words. 10/10.
I loved this book beyond words. 10/10.
December 9, 2024
winding prose without much of a plot. more of an exploration of gay identity in 90s NYC? but also somehow remarkably apolitical??
July 9, 2024
IN TONGUES is a five-star read: A searing and special look at the lives of those who surround our creative elite hoping for a slice of the pie.
Thomas Grattan's newest novel is buzzy in the queer community, and it's obvious why that may be. It's 2001, and twenty-four year-old Gordon (pretty, aimless) hops a bus from Minnesota to New York City for a chance to recover from a breakup. Chance encounters in the park and a checkout job are not enough stimulation for him, so when he accidentally meets a loaded couple - Phillip and Nicola - he cautiously accepts their invitation to spend more time with them. First as a dog walker, then an assistant. Then there are more chance encounters. And introductions to friends. And proteges. And the lines keep blurring. Over that first year of Gordon's New York life, his world is turned upside down as he discovers just how different life can be for the elite and the elitists among us all.
I adored this novel, which was one of the most refreshingly realistic examinations of the ways that we, the aspirational, orbit the elite among us. Gordon's story-and his torrid relationship to Phillip, Nicola, and Phillip and Nicola-resonates with me as a particular power dynamic that exists in the queer community, where power, sex, and money devilishly blend together in peculiar ways. IN TONGUES feels in some ways like a queer version of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (perhaps just a queer-er version). But while Grattan's novel centers around a troubling, soapy relationship, it's the story of Thomas and his found family in New York that makes this novel so special. Grattan captures the youthful, hopeful, hopeless dreamer and gives him everything to hope for with Janice, an unforgettable side-character who offers great compliment to our frustrating Gordon. That Janice can love him despite his flaws allows us to as well. Grattan schools Gordon for us and sets him up for a bright future. IN TONGUES is a novel that I could've read for another 500 pages. I really loved it.
Thomas Grattan's newest novel is buzzy in the queer community, and it's obvious why that may be. It's 2001, and twenty-four year-old Gordon (pretty, aimless) hops a bus from Minnesota to New York City for a chance to recover from a breakup. Chance encounters in the park and a checkout job are not enough stimulation for him, so when he accidentally meets a loaded couple - Phillip and Nicola - he cautiously accepts their invitation to spend more time with them. First as a dog walker, then an assistant. Then there are more chance encounters. And introductions to friends. And proteges. And the lines keep blurring. Over that first year of Gordon's New York life, his world is turned upside down as he discovers just how different life can be for the elite and the elitists among us all.
I adored this novel, which was one of the most refreshingly realistic examinations of the ways that we, the aspirational, orbit the elite among us. Gordon's story-and his torrid relationship to Phillip, Nicola, and Phillip and Nicola-resonates with me as a particular power dynamic that exists in the queer community, where power, sex, and money devilishly blend together in peculiar ways. IN TONGUES feels in some ways like a queer version of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (perhaps just a queer-er version). But while Grattan's novel centers around a troubling, soapy relationship, it's the story of Thomas and his found family in New York that makes this novel so special. Grattan captures the youthful, hopeful, hopeless dreamer and gives him everything to hope for with Janice, an unforgettable side-character who offers great compliment to our frustrating Gordon. That Janice can love him despite his flaws allows us to as well. Grattan schools Gordon for us and sets him up for a bright future. IN TONGUES is a novel that I could've read for another 500 pages. I really loved it.
June 18, 2024
*3.5
Major thanks to NetGalley and MCD for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
This is the kind of story that A24 would produce with a mid-range budget and no-name actors with most of the money going into shooting on film for the night time bits the most grain to give the film the heft that it lacks.
There's something light yet buoyant about Grattan's writing that doesn't nearly pierce the core of the emotional beats he wants to hit with our lost gay twentysomething who is, as the title leans on, in tongues or in between tongues of the men he meets in alleys and a man who shows him the slightest bit of intimacy that allows him to go on, as Miranda July would suggest, All Fours.
I think Grattan works better in the short story form as this just seems extended, goes on for too long. Though there are certain moments where whimsy collides with the bittersweet to ache something in me, these are only small aches towards, I think, something larger for Grattan in a stronger and better work.
Major thanks to NetGalley and MCD for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
This is the kind of story that A24 would produce with a mid-range budget and no-name actors with most of the money going into shooting on film for the night time bits the most grain to give the film the heft that it lacks.
There's something light yet buoyant about Grattan's writing that doesn't nearly pierce the core of the emotional beats he wants to hit with our lost gay twentysomething who is, as the title leans on, in tongues or in between tongues of the men he meets in alleys and a man who shows him the slightest bit of intimacy that allows him to go on, as Miranda July would suggest, All Fours.
I think Grattan works better in the short story form as this just seems extended, goes on for too long. Though there are certain moments where whimsy collides with the bittersweet to ache something in me, these are only small aches towards, I think, something larger for Grattan in a stronger and better work.
May 30, 2024
I guess slice-of-life books are for me. I appreciate the space they give the reader to think about things left unsaid instead of relying on a plot to convey every detail of a message. We spent a lot of time with Gordon, and by the end of this book, I understood the motivations behind his actions. In Tongues includes some hilarious one-liners and heartwrenching moments, but the journey is teeming with introspection and wandering. This book was a refreshing read at just the right time for me.
March 27, 2024
rly sad to have finished this one !! exactly what i was looking for: character development and movement with approachable stakes. i couldn’t put it down.
tysm to netgalley for this rockin arc
tysm to netgalley for this rockin arc
July 3, 2024
I'm not sure how to summarize this book - I picked it up as a Pride Month choice (but didn't get to it until July) and have to admit, that initially I wanted to put it back down. I didn't love the whininess and self pity of the young aimless Gordon, but I'm glad I stuck it out. Ultimately this was a years long coming of age novel against a rough backdrop. I never came to love Gordon, but I did empathize with him.
3.5 stars rounded up because it got better as it went along. (I still don't get the title)
3.5 stars rounded up because it got better as it went along. (I still don't get the title)
July 6, 2024
In Tongues by Thomas Grattan is a polarizing yet profound exploration of identity and the human quest for connection. Set against the richly textured backdrop of early 2000s New York City, the novel weaves a compelling slice-of-life narrative that feels deeply personal and relatable, especially for young gay individuals navigating a new life in the city.
Our protagonist of the novel is Gordon, a young and inexperienced man from Minnesota. After a devastating breakup, the novel begins as Gordon decides to leave rural Minnesota behind and move to the big city. Thanks to Grattan's intricate writing, we immediately perceive Gordon as a wandering soul, not yet realizing who he is. As the story unfolds, we see that the city can be a harsh place for such realizations.
Gordon takes up a position as a dog-walker, which leads him to connect rather intimately with two of his clients, Nicola and Philip. The couple, intrigued by Gordon’s beauty, greenness, or lack of self-identity, hires him as their personal assistant. Perhaps the driving force of this novel, this new role whirls Gordon into the underbelly of NYC's high-gay society, exposing him to art galleries, soirees, trips to the Catskills, and international endeavors. The reader is propelled on a journey alongside Gordon as he discovers who he can trust, who he can love, and the overall consequences of his actions (or lack thereof).
Apart from Nicola and Philip, Gordon encounters several individuals who both aid and hinder his journey. One standout character is Janice, one of the first people he meets in the city, who becomes his roommate and lifelong friend. We all need a Janice in our lives; she is the shining light at the end of the tunnel in the darkness of Gordon’s self-discovery.
Perhaps it’s a universal gay experience, but this novel resonated deeply with me. I often compared myself to Gordon, as I, too, had been on a similar journey in the city—a balance between selfishness and selflessness where the former often dominates due to youth and inexperience. Relationships are severed, others fluctuate, and eventually grow and thrive as we undergo our own growth. Grattan’s novel left a lasting impression, resonating with its authentic portrayal of Gordon’s struggles and the eloquence of its prose. The emotional depth and intellectual engagement offered by In Tongues made it a deeply satisfying read.
Our protagonist of the novel is Gordon, a young and inexperienced man from Minnesota. After a devastating breakup, the novel begins as Gordon decides to leave rural Minnesota behind and move to the big city. Thanks to Grattan's intricate writing, we immediately perceive Gordon as a wandering soul, not yet realizing who he is. As the story unfolds, we see that the city can be a harsh place for such realizations.
Gordon takes up a position as a dog-walker, which leads him to connect rather intimately with two of his clients, Nicola and Philip. The couple, intrigued by Gordon’s beauty, greenness, or lack of self-identity, hires him as their personal assistant. Perhaps the driving force of this novel, this new role whirls Gordon into the underbelly of NYC's high-gay society, exposing him to art galleries, soirees, trips to the Catskills, and international endeavors. The reader is propelled on a journey alongside Gordon as he discovers who he can trust, who he can love, and the overall consequences of his actions (or lack thereof).
Apart from Nicola and Philip, Gordon encounters several individuals who both aid and hinder his journey. One standout character is Janice, one of the first people he meets in the city, who becomes his roommate and lifelong friend. We all need a Janice in our lives; she is the shining light at the end of the tunnel in the darkness of Gordon’s self-discovery.
Perhaps it’s a universal gay experience, but this novel resonated deeply with me. I often compared myself to Gordon, as I, too, had been on a similar journey in the city—a balance between selfishness and selflessness where the former often dominates due to youth and inexperience. Relationships are severed, others fluctuate, and eventually grow and thrive as we undergo our own growth. Grattan’s novel left a lasting impression, resonating with its authentic portrayal of Gordon’s struggles and the eloquence of its prose. The emotional depth and intellectual engagement offered by In Tongues made it a deeply satisfying read.
August 8, 2024
Self-aware and thoughtful, beautifully written, wry. I loved the ebb and flow of hope and depression and the ultimate weary, earned satisfaction with life’s disappointments and gifts. Definitely a writer to watch.
June 16, 2025
A coming of age story ripe with sexual encounter (in my opinion too much) laid against the backdrop of 2001. The aspect of 9/11 only gently laid upon the midsection of the book and ultimately having no real outcome on the novel in and of itself, felt sort of weird in my opinion. Of all the time periods to set this novel it felt a miss to not have explored the cultural impact of this devastation just a tad more and ultimately left me wondering the reason for it's setting.
Gordon, a young gay man, cast away by his God fearing father and what appeared to be disinterested mother, tries to land on his feet in New York City after taking the plunge and moving from the midwest. What we have is a story of a man hooking up, partying, and jumping from job to job until he finally lands a steady paycheck through assisting an elderly gay couple. This job opens opportunity in additional partnership with Gordon but the large midsection of this book felt dry and not the coming of age excellence I would expect from a novel with "A novel that should become the touchstone of a whole generation" adorned on it's front cover.
The best part of this book was actually the latter portion covering maybe the conclusive 30 pages or so when Gordon has found himself in a more steady career addressing his raucous youth. Gordon comes to terms with his father, meets his former elderly employer upon happenstance at the hospital he is now employed with as a nurse. But there could have been so much more unpacking this side of the narrative and less exposure to his lustful youth and in my opinion would have netted a greater outcome in storytelling.
I by no means disliked this book and it is easy to read but it is not a novel worthy of a statement seeking generational touchstone. Obviously not the first time a book has been adorned with an unrealistic statement but we can do better than this for our readers!
Gordon, a young gay man, cast away by his God fearing father and what appeared to be disinterested mother, tries to land on his feet in New York City after taking the plunge and moving from the midwest. What we have is a story of a man hooking up, partying, and jumping from job to job until he finally lands a steady paycheck through assisting an elderly gay couple. This job opens opportunity in additional partnership with Gordon but the large midsection of this book felt dry and not the coming of age excellence I would expect from a novel with "A novel that should become the touchstone of a whole generation" adorned on it's front cover.
The best part of this book was actually the latter portion covering maybe the conclusive 30 pages or so when Gordon has found himself in a more steady career addressing his raucous youth. Gordon comes to terms with his father, meets his former elderly employer upon happenstance at the hospital he is now employed with as a nurse. But there could have been so much more unpacking this side of the narrative and less exposure to his lustful youth and in my opinion would have netted a greater outcome in storytelling.
I by no means disliked this book and it is easy to read but it is not a novel worthy of a statement seeking generational touchstone. Obviously not the first time a book has been adorned with an unrealistic statement but we can do better than this for our readers!
June 1, 2024
“I wanted bigger things, wanted them to want bigger things, too, rather than the smallness each of us treated like a map to dutifully follow”
Imagine your boyfriend just dumped you. You’ve stolen $200 from him and packed all your stuff into two duffel bags. Hitchhike to the bus station for a one-way ticket from Minnesota to New York City. A place you’ve never been to, with no one you know, with no job or a place to stay. This is how we meet Gordon, the main character in Thomas Grattan’s novel ‘In Tongues.’
Coming of age novels are some of my favorites. We follow Gordon, a 20-something gay man, as he gets introduced to wealthy art gallery owners by walking their dogs. As his life becomes intertwined with them and the new world they introduce him to, we see how he navigates his friendship, family, and imprecise relationship his bosses.
I felt for him so much and had empathy for all the push-and-pull and grey areas in all his relationships, from romantic to boss to his friendship with Janice. As he recounts his childhood, we understand his fractured and complicated relationships with his parents, especially his father. It’s unsettling to realize your parents have flaws and demons you won’t fully understand and grieve for a past version of them that no longer exists.
“There are times I lull myself with hope even when the evidence points in failure’s direction.”
Gordon uses self-pity and humor as coping mechanisms even when faced with sincerity. His days feel directionless and are propelled by other stable people. When you lack security, you try to find security in others, which sometimes means neglecting or leaving behind the people you care about.
He struggles with the heaviness he feels while pretending to be okay. He craves to be seen and finds people and boundaries difficult to navigate. It’s a unique despair to watch sadness get momentum. He is desperate for things to be better but also craves the comfort of former disappointments.
It's an honest and vulnerable story that isn’t melodramatic or requires a plot to propel it forward. Instead, it’s narrated from Gordon in the past tense, with glimpses of his reflection that add the perspective that I think we all feel when looking back at our past selves. The ending was sincere and emotive, and I love any reminder of how valuable a good friend can be.
Thank you so much for my copy! This was right up my alley.
Imagine your boyfriend just dumped you. You’ve stolen $200 from him and packed all your stuff into two duffel bags. Hitchhike to the bus station for a one-way ticket from Minnesota to New York City. A place you’ve never been to, with no one you know, with no job or a place to stay. This is how we meet Gordon, the main character in Thomas Grattan’s novel ‘In Tongues.’
Coming of age novels are some of my favorites. We follow Gordon, a 20-something gay man, as he gets introduced to wealthy art gallery owners by walking their dogs. As his life becomes intertwined with them and the new world they introduce him to, we see how he navigates his friendship, family, and imprecise relationship his bosses.
I felt for him so much and had empathy for all the push-and-pull and grey areas in all his relationships, from romantic to boss to his friendship with Janice. As he recounts his childhood, we understand his fractured and complicated relationships with his parents, especially his father. It’s unsettling to realize your parents have flaws and demons you won’t fully understand and grieve for a past version of them that no longer exists.
“There are times I lull myself with hope even when the evidence points in failure’s direction.”
Gordon uses self-pity and humor as coping mechanisms even when faced with sincerity. His days feel directionless and are propelled by other stable people. When you lack security, you try to find security in others, which sometimes means neglecting or leaving behind the people you care about.
He struggles with the heaviness he feels while pretending to be okay. He craves to be seen and finds people and boundaries difficult to navigate. It’s a unique despair to watch sadness get momentum. He is desperate for things to be better but also craves the comfort of former disappointments.
It's an honest and vulnerable story that isn’t melodramatic or requires a plot to propel it forward. Instead, it’s narrated from Gordon in the past tense, with glimpses of his reflection that add the perspective that I think we all feel when looking back at our past selves. The ending was sincere and emotive, and I love any reminder of how valuable a good friend can be.
Thank you so much for my copy! This was right up my alley.
December 16, 2024
When I started this book, I was a bit apprehensive about a novel with another self-flagellating queer protagonist. Even as I warmed up to Gordon as a more complex, realized character than I first perceived him, I was put off again by the dynamic between him, his older gay bosses (Phillip and Nicola), and his apathetic, fleeting artist lover (Pavel). I blanched at the plot - a young, aimless, and penniless protagonist being wooed by wealthy, judgmental, and manipulative 1%ers - not necessarily because of the intentionally insidious nature of the characters’ relationships but because I just finished Rumaan Alam’s _Entitlement_, which approaches a plot with similar, (and for me) tiresome themes.
BUT this novel succeeds where Alam’s failed at making its characters and plot worthwhile and unputdownable. The last third of _In Tongues_ redeems and justifies the rest of the work that comes before. Gordon becomes such a relatable character (sometimes uncomfortably so) and despite the selfishness and recklessness he exhibits throughout the story, I couldn’t help but feel deeply for him when taking stock of how selfishly and hypocritically he’s treated by not just the rich people he encounters but also by his own family. I also loved how place plays such a strong role in the writing - how no matter where Gordon ends up, the physical locales are almost flattened by his consistently hopeful yet disappointing emotional experiences across them. I’ll definitely be reading more of Grattan’s work in the future!
BUT this novel succeeds where Alam’s failed at making its characters and plot worthwhile and unputdownable. The last third of _In Tongues_ redeems and justifies the rest of the work that comes before. Gordon becomes such a relatable character (sometimes uncomfortably so) and despite the selfishness and recklessness he exhibits throughout the story, I couldn’t help but feel deeply for him when taking stock of how selfishly and hypocritically he’s treated by not just the rich people he encounters but also by his own family. I also loved how place plays such a strong role in the writing - how no matter where Gordon ends up, the physical locales are almost flattened by his consistently hopeful yet disappointing emotional experiences across them. I’ll definitely be reading more of Grattan’s work in the future!
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