What do you think?
Rate this book
Invisible Life #1
Invisible Life
Invisible Life is the story of a young man's coming of age. Law school, girlfriends, and career choices were all part of Raymond Tyler's life, but there were other, more terrifying issues for him to confront. Being black was tough enough, but Raymond was becoming more and more conscious of sexual feelings that he knew weren't "right." He was completely committed to Sela, his longtime girlfriend, but his attraction to Kelvin, whom he had met during his last year in law school, had become more than just a friendship. No matter how much he tried to suppress them, his feelings were deeply sexual.
Fleeing to New York to escape both Sela and Kelvin, Raymond finds himself more confused than ever before. New relationships -- both male and female -- give him enormous pleasure but keep him from finding the inner peace and lasting love he so desperately desires. The horrible illness and death of a friend force Raymond, at last, to face the truth.
Fleeing to New York to escape both Sela and Kelvin, Raymond finds himself more confused than ever before. New relationships -- both male and female -- give him enormous pleasure but keep him from finding the inner peace and lasting love he so desperately desires. The horrible illness and death of a friend force Raymond, at last, to face the truth.
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 1991
147 people are currently reading
3560 people want to read
About the author
E. Lynn Harris
47 books743 followersE. Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Michigan and raised, along with three sisters, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was the school's first black yearbook editor, the first black male Razorbacks cheerleader, and the president of his fraternity. He graduated with honors with a degree in journalism.
Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for thirteen years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He finally quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, and, failing to find a publisher, he published it himself in 1991 and sold it mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was "discovered" by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and thus his career as an author officially began.
Invisible Life was followed by Just As I Am (1994), And This Too Shall Pass (1996), If This World Were Mine (1997), Abide with Me (1999), Not A Day Goes By (2000), Any Way the Wind Blows (2001), A Love of My Own (2002), I Say A Little Prayer (2006), Just Too Good To Be True (2008), Basketball Jones(2009), and Mama Dearest(2009),all published by Doubleday, and In My Father's House(2010), published by St. Martin's Press. Ten of Harris's novels hit the New York Times bestseller list, and his books have also appeared on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. In 2003, Harris published his first work of nonfiction, a memoir entitled What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, which was also a New York Times bestseller. Today, there are more than four million copies of his books in print.
Harris's writing also appeared in Essence, Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and Sports Illustrated, as well as in the award-winning anthology Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America, Go The Way Your Blood Beats. His novella, "Money Can't Buy Me Love" was published in Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories. Freedom in This Village, a collection of short stories edited by Harris, was released in the fall of 2004. His short fiction appeared in Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writers (Harlem Moon), a 2002 collection he edited with writer Marita Golden.
Harris won numerous accolades and prizes for his work. Just As I Am was awarded the Novel of the Year Prize by the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers, Inc. If This World Were Mine was nominated for a NAACP Image Award and won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence. Abide with Me was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award. His anthology Freedom in this Village won the Lambda Literary Award in 2005. In 1999, the University of Arkansas honored Harris with a Citation of Distinguished Alumni for outstanding professional achievement, and in October 2000 he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. He was named to Ebony's "Most Intriguing Blacks" list, Out Magazine's "Out 100" list, New York Magazine's "Gay Power 101" list, and Savoy's "100 Leaders and Heroes in Black America" list. Other honors included the Sprague Todes Literary Award, the Harvey Milk Honorary Diploma, and The Silas Hunt Award for Outstanding Achievement from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Harris was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Evidence Dance Company. He was the founder of the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.
E. Lynn Harris passed away in 2009.
http://us.macmillan.com/inmyfathersho...
Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for thirteen years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He finally quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, and, failing to find a publisher, he published it himself in 1991 and sold it mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was "discovered" by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and thus his career as an author officially began.
Invisible Life was followed by Just As I Am (1994), And This Too Shall Pass (1996), If This World Were Mine (1997), Abide with Me (1999), Not A Day Goes By (2000), Any Way the Wind Blows (2001), A Love of My Own (2002), I Say A Little Prayer (2006), Just Too Good To Be True (2008), Basketball Jones(2009), and Mama Dearest(2009),all published by Doubleday, and In My Father's House(2010), published by St. Martin's Press. Ten of Harris's novels hit the New York Times bestseller list, and his books have also appeared on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. In 2003, Harris published his first work of nonfiction, a memoir entitled What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, which was also a New York Times bestseller. Today, there are more than four million copies of his books in print.
Harris's writing also appeared in Essence, Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and Sports Illustrated, as well as in the award-winning anthology Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America, Go The Way Your Blood Beats. His novella, "Money Can't Buy Me Love" was published in Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories. Freedom in This Village, a collection of short stories edited by Harris, was released in the fall of 2004. His short fiction appeared in Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writers (Harlem Moon), a 2002 collection he edited with writer Marita Golden.
Harris won numerous accolades and prizes for his work. Just As I Am was awarded the Novel of the Year Prize by the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers, Inc. If This World Were Mine was nominated for a NAACP Image Award and won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence. Abide with Me was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award. His anthology Freedom in this Village won the Lambda Literary Award in 2005. In 1999, the University of Arkansas honored Harris with a Citation of Distinguished Alumni for outstanding professional achievement, and in October 2000 he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. He was named to Ebony's "Most Intriguing Blacks" list, Out Magazine's "Out 100" list, New York Magazine's "Gay Power 101" list, and Savoy's "100 Leaders and Heroes in Black America" list. Other honors included the Sprague Todes Literary Award, the Harvey Milk Honorary Diploma, and The Silas Hunt Award for Outstanding Achievement from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Harris was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Evidence Dance Company. He was the founder of the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.
E. Lynn Harris passed away in 2009.
http://us.macmillan.com/inmyfathersho...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews
October 8, 2014
I'm such a huge fan of the late Mr E Lynn Harris. Following the news of his death I wrote a blog about how I came to love his books and about how he touched my life. Here's a copy of that blog:
I was very troubled to hear about the passing of Mr. Harris. To me he was more than just an author. He helped me see that being an out gay black male was possible. The way I first discovered his writing was kind of serendipitous. I was a very unhappy closeted college freshman at East Carolina University. I've always had a passion for reading and used books as a way to escape my life's reality and it's inner-turmoil. I would go to Barnes and Nobel quite often to sip coffee and find new books to read. I was aware that they had a "Gay and Lesbian interest" book section, but I was so deeply closeted that I couldn't even walk toward that aisle even though I wanted to very badly. During one of my days there I walked around a bit and found a couple of books that looked interesting. I went to purchase my coffee and found a comfortable chair to sit in while I went through my books to see which ones I wanted to buy. I sat my things on the coffee table in front of me and I noticed an interesting looking book lying there on the table that someone had left for the employees to re-shelve. I picked it up and read the title "Invisible Life". That really peaked my interest because I felt like I was living an invisible life. I started to read and it drew me in instantly...
*TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST, PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW:
http://sociallyurban.com/e-lynn-harris-the-passing-of-a-brilliant-author/
I was very troubled to hear about the passing of Mr. Harris. To me he was more than just an author. He helped me see that being an out gay black male was possible. The way I first discovered his writing was kind of serendipitous. I was a very unhappy closeted college freshman at East Carolina University. I've always had a passion for reading and used books as a way to escape my life's reality and it's inner-turmoil. I would go to Barnes and Nobel quite often to sip coffee and find new books to read. I was aware that they had a "Gay and Lesbian interest" book section, but I was so deeply closeted that I couldn't even walk toward that aisle even though I wanted to very badly. During one of my days there I walked around a bit and found a couple of books that looked interesting. I went to purchase my coffee and found a comfortable chair to sit in while I went through my books to see which ones I wanted to buy. I sat my things on the coffee table in front of me and I noticed an interesting looking book lying there on the table that someone had left for the employees to re-shelve. I picked it up and read the title "Invisible Life". That really peaked my interest because I felt like I was living an invisible life. I started to read and it drew me in instantly...
*TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST, PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW:
http://sociallyurban.com/e-lynn-harris-the-passing-of-a-brilliant-author/
July 25, 2009
The passing of this lovely man will not only leave a big hole in my reading list each year but puts an end to his heartfelt and powerful exploration of these specific lives. Since I read his first four books back to back about a decade ago, I have looked forward to spending at least one weekend each summer with his characters who are in some ways so different from those that populate my caucasian agnostic Angeleno life and in other ways absolutely the same. The heroes of his books are so fundamentally good they've always brought out the best in me and there are wonderful friends in my life today because I first made friends with people like them in his books. He's helped me understand my African-American brothers and sisters, straight and gay, and he's helped me better understand myself.
April 15, 2018
Dnf @ 169
Okay I’ve had enough, this writing is not good at all.
“Her erected breast” “her vanilla wafer colored skin”
It’s just not good, so bad. And the characters??? I hate everyone they’re so boring and insubstantial. The main character has the worst view on his own sexuality as a bi man and it makes me so uncomfortable as a bi woman to read some of the terrible shit he’s saying that goes completely uncontested by the narrative. All his relationships and friendships are so boring. Everything about this was just not good for me. Which is so incredibly disappointing because it’s a book by a black man about a black bisexual character and his life. I had hoped to love this but it’s so....icky.
Okay I’ve had enough, this writing is not good at all.
“Her erected breast” “her vanilla wafer colored skin”
It’s just not good, so bad. And the characters??? I hate everyone they’re so boring and insubstantial. The main character has the worst view on his own sexuality as a bi man and it makes me so uncomfortable as a bi woman to read some of the terrible shit he’s saying that goes completely uncontested by the narrative. All his relationships and friendships are so boring. Everything about this was just not good for me. Which is so incredibly disappointing because it’s a book by a black man about a black bisexual character and his life. I had hoped to love this but it’s so....icky.
November 2, 2022
Trippy! Yooo what a story. I loved so much of Invisible Life and hated so much of Invisible Life. I hated that it felt like a warning to Black women. Invisible Life definitely felt like it was on some: ~you really don’t know what kind of man you’re going to get and oh yeah, you might die because your man, he’s on the DL “spinning the wheel”. ~
The pivotal moment of the book felt so insane. Although in reality, it shouldn’t have because I’ve seen enough Jerry Spinger and watched enough folks get “exposed” for a lifetime. I’ve seen enough Maury and Oprah, Ricki Lake and various documentaries to know that I know it was a reality of the time in NY and across North America in 1991 and still to this day to hide at times, to stay trapped in the closet. Especially in religious communities, and many times in the Black community. It’s still hard right now for Brothers to stand in their full selves and fully stand in the LGBTQ community, look at what happened to our young king Isiah Rashad recently, we’ve read from folks like Brian Broome, and R. Eric Thomas and seen from other folks the struggle to reach a place of comfort and truth. Yes, it’s hard but yo I STILL don’t like how E Lynn worked Black women into these situations —whether or not it came from a real or fake place. The sentiments that Black women were made to wear in this book did not sit well with me at all. Like, I really fucking hated them.
I especially hated it because it was the men being dishonest in their realities. Where’s the accountability!? What is that about?! Let me tell you.. I know exactly what that’s about — it’s about the same reason that Tyler Perry punished ol’ girl in Temptation. It’s about the same reason that E. Lynn Harris’ pen name is E. Lynn and not Everett L. Harris née Jeter. Misogynoir doesn’t sleep, and why not I’m being sarcastic but it’s disgusting how easily misogynoir can be perpetuated by those in your own community: straight, gay, ally, whatever. It never stops. It’s actually annoying. I’m glad I didn’t spend a cent on this book.
I found the moments between our main character and his family endearing, painful and eventually peaceful. E. Lynn made sure to give his main character a happy ending re: his family. E. Lynn did the best he could repairing the relationship between father and son. E. Lynn found and saw the full importance of giving this main character the ideal experience he could give him with his family dynamic. Interesting. No problems at all creating the ideal soul-restoring environment for that main character though.
During a recent book date with my homegirls, my friend said that she tried to read E. Lynn’s books and it never ever sat right with her. Not due to the characters being gay, but due to the lying and the misleading behaviour and hearing that E. Lynn was writing from a locked in place of lived experience, it was just too much mess for her. While I have a love-hate relationship with the mess, I hate that the one to pay for the mess was the sister who had trust in her heart. Just like I had to pay for the mess of this book by experiencing the trauma of trust irrevocably broken for our sisters in the hands of E. Lynn Harris.
This book just reminds me how hard it is and was for people to live their truth, and in their living a lie, how easy it is for some folks to just go out and hurt people. It’s sad. Entertaining. But sad.
The pivotal moment of the book felt so insane. Although in reality, it shouldn’t have because I’ve seen enough Jerry Spinger and watched enough folks get “exposed” for a lifetime. I’ve seen enough Maury and Oprah, Ricki Lake and various documentaries to know that I know it was a reality of the time in NY and across North America in 1991 and still to this day to hide at times, to stay trapped in the closet. Especially in religious communities, and many times in the Black community. It’s still hard right now for Brothers to stand in their full selves and fully stand in the LGBTQ community, look at what happened to our young king Isiah Rashad recently, we’ve read from folks like Brian Broome, and R. Eric Thomas and seen from other folks the struggle to reach a place of comfort and truth. Yes, it’s hard but yo I STILL don’t like how E Lynn worked Black women into these situations —whether or not it came from a real or fake place. The sentiments that Black women were made to wear in this book did not sit well with me at all. Like, I really fucking hated them.
I especially hated it because it was the men being dishonest in their realities. Where’s the accountability!? What is that about?! Let me tell you.. I know exactly what that’s about — it’s about the same reason that Tyler Perry punished ol’ girl in Temptation. It’s about the same reason that E. Lynn Harris’ pen name is E. Lynn and not Everett L. Harris née Jeter. Misogynoir doesn’t sleep, and why not I’m being sarcastic but it’s disgusting how easily misogynoir can be perpetuated by those in your own community: straight, gay, ally, whatever. It never stops. It’s actually annoying. I’m glad I didn’t spend a cent on this book.
I found the moments between our main character and his family endearing, painful and eventually peaceful. E. Lynn made sure to give his main character a happy ending re: his family. E. Lynn did the best he could repairing the relationship between father and son. E. Lynn found and saw the full importance of giving this main character the ideal experience he could give him with his family dynamic. Interesting. No problems at all creating the ideal soul-restoring environment for that main character though.
During a recent book date with my homegirls, my friend said that she tried to read E. Lynn’s books and it never ever sat right with her. Not due to the characters being gay, but due to the lying and the misleading behaviour and hearing that E. Lynn was writing from a locked in place of lived experience, it was just too much mess for her. While I have a love-hate relationship with the mess, I hate that the one to pay for the mess was the sister who had trust in her heart. Just like I had to pay for the mess of this book by experiencing the trauma of trust irrevocably broken for our sisters in the hands of E. Lynn Harris.
This book just reminds me how hard it is and was for people to live their truth, and in their living a lie, how easy it is for some folks to just go out and hurt people. It’s sad. Entertaining. But sad.
February 5, 2020
I was recommended this book and glad I picked it up. This book is all about struggling with ones sexuality and who we are compared to who we are expected to be. Really good read.
May 19, 2018
Wow. I was not expecting the outcome for Candace. Nor did I see the main character telling truths that would cost him everything. This book had me on edge throughout. I loved how the author captivates the reader from the beginning but then revs up the intensity midway to where you don't want to put it down.
January 8, 2019
Invisible Life
is one of my all-time favorite books, but it's been years since I've visited Raymond Winston Tyler, Jr. After finishing, I feel like there is so much about this book to unpack. Invisible Life was groundbreaking when it was published in 1991, which was a completely different era in terms of being gay and being out, and it shows in this book. Some of the sentiments and attitudes still stand, unfortunately. But this book remains firm in how I felt about Raymond, then and now, and his struggle to find his way. Ready to move on to the next book in this three-book series.
November 14, 2015
Where do i begin with this disappointing read?
I truly found this to be INSULTING to Black Women. Cowardly bisexual black men lying and cheating on women is no life for anyone. Although we live in a different time than when this was published, I am still disappointed in its embrace of racist and homophobic stereotypes.
Not only that but the writing was all over the place. There was never truly a central focus for the protagonist while the reader was subjected to frequent info-dumping.
Had this been the first Harris book I read, as it was published, it would have been my last. Luckily, I know of a few more titles way better than this utter garbage.
I truly found this to be INSULTING to Black Women. Cowardly bisexual black men lying and cheating on women is no life for anyone. Although we live in a different time than when this was published, I am still disappointed in its embrace of racist and homophobic stereotypes.
Not only that but the writing was all over the place. There was never truly a central focus for the protagonist while the reader was subjected to frequent info-dumping.
Had this been the first Harris book I read, as it was published, it would have been my last. Luckily, I know of a few more titles way better than this utter garbage.
May 5, 2021
I was completely engrossed in this book. I soaked it up and finished it in 72 hours. This novel truly captured REAL SELF discovery
Update 7/20/2020
3rd time's the charm.
Update 4/29/2021
4th time reading this one! It's such a well written and classic story to me.
Update 7/20/2020
3rd time's the charm.
Update 4/29/2021
4th time reading this one! It's such a well written and classic story to me.
June 17, 2022
I read this book on hearing it's going to be adapted into a TV series. Written in memoir style, it's the life story of an American black gay man growing up in the homophobic South. It chronicles the discovery of his sexuality, his coming out and his embrace of gay lifestyle after moving to NYC. Along the way, his story is juxtaposed with that of another black man, his first crush, who struggled with being gay and opted to live an "invisible life".
This is a good read, preachy sometimes, with some outdated POVs (it was written in the early 90's), but it provides great insights into the world of black gay men in the HIV era. I'd love to follow the MC around in subsequent volumes of the series (I think there are 2 more books)
This is a good read, preachy sometimes, with some outdated POVs (it was written in the early 90's), but it provides great insights into the world of black gay men in the HIV era. I'd love to follow the MC around in subsequent volumes of the series (I think there are 2 more books)
April 24, 2013
I haven't read an LGBTQ novel since I was an undergrad, and at the time, I only read about women, so reading about coming out from the perspective of an African American man was different from most of the things I've read in the past. Ray is a closeted bisexual black man living in what I believe to be the 1980s. He was born and raised (and went to college) in Alabama, but moved to New York for law school and stayed for work and the lifestyle. In Invisible Life, he struggles with the decisions he has to make between the way he feels and the life he wants to live.
I've read a lot of positive reviews about this book, and I agree that it does have a lot to say. However, I don't think that having something significant to say is a good enough reason to write (or read) a book. The writing style was so unimaginative that the sentences all started to sound the same, and the more emotional scenes were flat and emotionless, which was kind of sad in itself, because they should have been poignant. Reading this book felt like listening to a man recite the history of his life in a monotone, discussing his greatest joys and lowest sorrows without any difference in inflection. I just couldn't get into the story.
I intend to read more similar books to find something I do enjoy. While I did not enjoy this book, I do still think I would recommend it to people who were interested in books about gay and bisexual African American men. Not everyone has my writing style preferences, and a lot of people have really loved this book.
I've read a lot of positive reviews about this book, and I agree that it does have a lot to say. However, I don't think that having something significant to say is a good enough reason to write (or read) a book. The writing style was so unimaginative that the sentences all started to sound the same, and the more emotional scenes were flat and emotionless, which was kind of sad in itself, because they should have been poignant. Reading this book felt like listening to a man recite the history of his life in a monotone, discussing his greatest joys and lowest sorrows without any difference in inflection. I just couldn't get into the story.
I intend to read more similar books to find something I do enjoy. While I did not enjoy this book, I do still think I would recommend it to people who were interested in books about gay and bisexual African American men. Not everyone has my writing style preferences, and a lot of people have really loved this book.
August 23, 2009
Having learned of author Harris via his recent death, I was curious about his introductory groundbreaking novel that was one of the first to acknowledge gay and bisexual black men on the "down low" who passed as straight. The idea of the character Ray being simultaneously in love with two perfect people (male Quinn and female Nicole) is intriguing, but the writing was, I have to say, pretty awful. Ex: "Her skin tone was a yellowish brown-waffle color," "Her skin was paper-sack brown," "I could see my black Jockey shorts against my camel-colored skin," and, my favorite, "she moved [my hand:] toward her erected breasts." Wow. I wish I could say nicer things about this book, but I can only hope Harris' writing got better as his career became established.
January 24, 2022
the realest one in the book game
This book gave me everything I didn’t know I needed. Harris is a masterful story teller and he raised the bar on issues that were faced in a time period we as a community swept under the rug. This is a reread and a welcomed one!
This book gave me everything I didn’t know I needed. Harris is a masterful story teller and he raised the bar on issues that were faced in a time period we as a community swept under the rug. This is a reread and a welcomed one!
Read
December 10, 2020ahhhhhhhh. I know I've said before that I don't know how to rate something, but I truly, genuinely have no idea what to rate this. I kind of hated it. a lot. but then I kinda loved it a little bit? but not really? I don't know.
to start with what I hatedwhich was most of it:
1. the writing. jesus christ. everyone's skin color had to be overly described, usually as food. "papersack brown skin" "oatmeal colored sin" "sandy colored skin" "charcoal black skin" "pecan brown skin" "cinnamon brown skin".... please I'm suffering. Also, the story was around 80% tell and 20% show, and for the first 25% I'd say it was exclusively "tell." it was just Raymond, the main character, updating you on what had happened for that week or that month and almost never letting you experience it directly (never mind the abrupt six year time jump between chapters 2 and 3).
2. the plot. the first half of the book is incredibly disjointed and meandering and you truly can't tell where the book is going. all Raymond was talking about was his girlfriend Sela and the guy he'd met and started sleeping with, Kelvin. this goes on for the first two chapters (which is not an insignificant portion of time; it was about an hour of an eight-hour audiobook).
in the middle of those two chapters I looked up the synopsis again, knowing it was something about a man not being able to choose between his girlfriend and his male lover, only to realize that the names in the synopsis weren't Sela or Kelvin, but Nicole and Quinn, who I'm pretty sure you don't meet until like chapter 5. it made the beginning feel simultaneously slow and fast - in chapter 1, Raymond sleeps with a man for the first time, pretty much the same day he meets him, after minimal discussion of the fact that he's never been interested in men before. then it goes on to tell you about him cheating on Sela for months, and right when you think something's happening, there's a six year time jump and oh yeah, Sela and Kelvin are out of the picture, Raymond has only gay friends besides the token hag friend, he lives in NYC instead of Alabama, and let's just start the story over again.
and it literally does: he meets a girl he falls in love with, Nicole, and promptly starts cheating on her with Quinn. and then gets mad when he discovers Quinn has a wife and kids (???). and he loves Nicole and kinda wants to marry her but he's still sleeping with Quinn, and oh life is so hard. oh and some other stuff is happening sometimes, someone dies, ambiguous not-quite-happy ending, the end.
3. the sex scenes. maybe it's because this was written in the 90s, I don't know, but Raymond exclusively referred to his dick as his "sex", which was weird. he also pretty much exclusively referred to sex as "love-making," often with the word "vigorous" in front of it. the times the sex was actually described in detail - which thankfully was not a ton - it was super methodical and clunky and just. weird.
the things I didn't hate, on the other hand, are not quite as specific. most of it is just a general appreciation for what this was, and what it represents, considering the time it was written: a novel about a black bisexual man coming to terms with his identity and how that impacts the ones he loves.
I don't think it is at all fair to categorize this as "bad rep" because you are using 2020 standards for something written almost 30 years ago, that was written frankly and unapologetically in a way I imagine not many gay novels were at the time. yes, Raymond and most of the characters have a misunderstanding of what bisexual really means, but when most of the gay men you know have girlfriends or wives, of course you're not going to understand it when someone really is attracted to men and women. and even Raymond himself didn't understand, because he had no one else to look towards for guidance.
I've also gone back and forth on how I feel about the cheating. I mean, there is constant cheating throughout this book. Raymond cheats on Sela with Kelvin; Sela (later) cheats on her fiancé with Ray; Ray cheats on Nicole with Quinn, who is cheating on his wife with Ray. and it's kind of implied that Kelvin cheated on his fiancé Candance with at least one man. and it's all frustrating as fuck, especially when essentially all of the characters act like it's harmless to cheat if you're not married. it definitely colored my view of Ray. but the more I read, the more I started looking at it from their perspective, and out of my 2020-biased lens. as Ray points out, many gay men were not monogamous in the 90s. some became so after the AIDS crisis first began, but most still had girlfriends and wives, appearances to keep up, and instead just chose to have safe sex on the side. living in a time where it's basically assumed that if you're gay or bi, your goal is to eventually be able to come out of the closet, find your true love and ride off into the sunset puking rainbows, et cetera, it's easy to judge these characters for acting like monogamy is pointless or unheard of. but if your goals and expectations are completely different, and if you're only able to be gay on the side or with select friends who are either also gay or very trustworthy, of course monogamy would be impossible. all this to say, while I never liked the cheating in the story, it feels wrong to pass too much judgment.
which brings me to my next point: I like that this book just was what it was. it was honest, and it was unapologetic, and it made me think and feel things I was not expecting. every character in here is deeply flawed, but none of them are bad people. they're just fucking people. they're real, and their personalities were distinctive and varied in ways I don't see enough in the kind of fiction I'm consuming. (to be fair I am not usually reading Real Literature That Has Something Important To Say bc I'm all about the gay romance, but like, still.) their actions were infuriating and understandable and relatable and real. I especially loved Ray's journey with his father in the last portion of the book, and the palpable struggle they had to meet in the middle of their differences.
lastly, the underlying current of Invisible Life was AIDS. until the very end, it was never necessarily at the forefront - just Ray mentioning that he'd been tested, that he was negative, that gay men were meticulous about wearing condoms, specifically, while straight women were content with any form of birth control - but it was always present, a reflection of the time in which it was published. in his author's note, Harris mentions that this was in part dedicated to the black women who were suffering disproportionately from AIDS. as it's laid out in Invisible Life, HIV could spread incredibly quickly to straight people, because they didn't see it as something that affected "their" community. but many straight women - like Sela, like Nicole, like Candance, like Quinn's wife - never knew and never would have known that their boyfriends or husbands were sleeping with men as well. I don't know what else to say about this part of the story other than to say that it is clearly authentic and well done, and unlike some other stories about HIV and the AIDS epidemic that I've heard of, this one is wholly centered on the impact of AIDS on black men and black women.
so. now that I've rambled on and on about my complex feelings for this book, I guess I have to rate it. maybe. two stars seems harsh, considering how much I appreciated what this story had to say, but four stars seems too much, considering how much I genuinely fucking hated the writing. and three stars is just so.... ambivalent. it's a literal average rating, that I pop out when something is just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and I know I'm probably never gonna think about it again. it doesn't feel fair to slap a forgettable three stars on this. can I leave it at no rating?? like I know a rating is not required but also. it always feels required. I always have Opinions on what I've read and those Opinions equate to an easy to conceptualize rating. but maybe some Opinions just aren't ratable.
to start with what I hated
1. the writing. jesus christ. everyone's skin color had to be overly described, usually as food. "papersack brown skin" "oatmeal colored sin" "sandy colored skin" "charcoal black skin" "pecan brown skin" "cinnamon brown skin".... please I'm suffering. Also, the story was around 80% tell and 20% show, and for the first 25% I'd say it was exclusively "tell." it was just Raymond, the main character, updating you on what had happened for that week or that month and almost never letting you experience it directly (never mind the abrupt six year time jump between chapters 2 and 3).
2. the plot. the first half of the book is incredibly disjointed and meandering and you truly can't tell where the book is going. all Raymond was talking about was his girlfriend Sela and the guy he'd met and started sleeping with, Kelvin. this goes on for the first two chapters (which is not an insignificant portion of time; it was about an hour of an eight-hour audiobook).
in the middle of those two chapters I looked up the synopsis again, knowing it was something about a man not being able to choose between his girlfriend and his male lover, only to realize that the names in the synopsis weren't Sela or Kelvin, but Nicole and Quinn, who I'm pretty sure you don't meet until like chapter 5. it made the beginning feel simultaneously slow and fast - in chapter 1, Raymond sleeps with a man for the first time, pretty much the same day he meets him, after minimal discussion of the fact that he's never been interested in men before. then it goes on to tell you about him cheating on Sela for months, and right when you think something's happening, there's a six year time jump and oh yeah, Sela and Kelvin are out of the picture, Raymond has only gay friends besides the token hag friend, he lives in NYC instead of Alabama, and let's just start the story over again.
and it literally does: he meets a girl he falls in love with, Nicole, and promptly starts cheating on her with Quinn. and then gets mad when he discovers Quinn has a wife and kids (???). and he loves Nicole and kinda wants to marry her but he's still sleeping with Quinn, and oh life is so hard. oh and some other stuff is happening sometimes, someone dies, ambiguous not-quite-happy ending, the end.
3. the sex scenes. maybe it's because this was written in the 90s, I don't know, but Raymond exclusively referred to his dick as his "sex", which was weird. he also pretty much exclusively referred to sex as "love-making," often with the word "vigorous" in front of it. the times the sex was actually described in detail - which thankfully was not a ton - it was super methodical and clunky and just. weird.
the things I didn't hate, on the other hand, are not quite as specific. most of it is just a general appreciation for what this was, and what it represents, considering the time it was written: a novel about a black bisexual man coming to terms with his identity and how that impacts the ones he loves.
I don't think it is at all fair to categorize this as "bad rep" because you are using 2020 standards for something written almost 30 years ago, that was written frankly and unapologetically in a way I imagine not many gay novels were at the time. yes, Raymond and most of the characters have a misunderstanding of what bisexual really means, but when most of the gay men you know have girlfriends or wives, of course you're not going to understand it when someone really is attracted to men and women. and even Raymond himself didn't understand, because he had no one else to look towards for guidance.
I've also gone back and forth on how I feel about the cheating. I mean, there is constant cheating throughout this book. Raymond cheats on Sela with Kelvin; Sela (later) cheats on her fiancé with Ray; Ray cheats on Nicole with Quinn, who is cheating on his wife with Ray. and it's kind of implied that Kelvin cheated on his fiancé Candance with at least one man. and it's all frustrating as fuck, especially when essentially all of the characters act like it's harmless to cheat if you're not married. it definitely colored my view of Ray. but the more I read, the more I started looking at it from their perspective, and out of my 2020-biased lens. as Ray points out, many gay men were not monogamous in the 90s. some became so after the AIDS crisis first began, but most still had girlfriends and wives, appearances to keep up, and instead just chose to have safe sex on the side. living in a time where it's basically assumed that if you're gay or bi, your goal is to eventually be able to come out of the closet, find your true love and ride off into the sunset puking rainbows, et cetera, it's easy to judge these characters for acting like monogamy is pointless or unheard of. but if your goals and expectations are completely different, and if you're only able to be gay on the side or with select friends who are either also gay or very trustworthy, of course monogamy would be impossible. all this to say, while I never liked the cheating in the story, it feels wrong to pass too much judgment.
which brings me to my next point: I like that this book just was what it was. it was honest, and it was unapologetic, and it made me think and feel things I was not expecting. every character in here is deeply flawed, but none of them are bad people. they're just fucking people. they're real, and their personalities were distinctive and varied in ways I don't see enough in the kind of fiction I'm consuming. (to be fair I am not usually reading Real Literature That Has Something Important To Say bc I'm all about the gay romance, but like, still.) their actions were infuriating and understandable and relatable and real. I especially loved Ray's journey with his father in the last portion of the book, and the palpable struggle they had to meet in the middle of their differences.
lastly, the underlying current of Invisible Life was AIDS. until the very end, it was never necessarily at the forefront - just Ray mentioning that he'd been tested, that he was negative, that gay men were meticulous about wearing condoms, specifically, while straight women were content with any form of birth control - but it was always present, a reflection of the time in which it was published. in his author's note, Harris mentions that this was in part dedicated to the black women who were suffering disproportionately from AIDS. as it's laid out in Invisible Life, HIV could spread incredibly quickly to straight people, because they didn't see it as something that affected "their" community. but many straight women - like Sela, like Nicole, like Candance, like Quinn's wife - never knew and never would have known that their boyfriends or husbands were sleeping with men as well. I don't know what else to say about this part of the story other than to say that it is clearly authentic and well done, and unlike some other stories about HIV and the AIDS epidemic that I've heard of, this one is wholly centered on the impact of AIDS on black men and black women.
so. now that I've rambled on and on about my complex feelings for this book, I guess I have to rate it. maybe. two stars seems harsh, considering how much I appreciated what this story had to say, but four stars seems too much, considering how much I genuinely fucking hated the writing. and three stars is just so.... ambivalent. it's a literal average rating, that I pop out when something is just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and I know I'm probably never gonna think about it again. it doesn't feel fair to slap a forgettable three stars on this. can I leave it at no rating?? like I know a rating is not required but also. it always feels required. I always have Opinions on what I've read and those Opinions equate to an easy to conceptualize rating. but maybe some Opinions just aren't ratable.
January 9, 2022
Nostalgic
I decided to buddy read this with a group of fellow book lovers. What a pleasure it was to revisit this iconic book after so many years. I was reminded of how special Mr. E Lynn Harris was. He was brave. He was creative. He was the voice for so many beautiful, Black men. Harris and his talents are sorely missed. Thankfully, he left us this book and so many others. I’m so glad that I took the time to be reintroduced to Raymond and his supporting characters.
I decided to buddy read this with a group of fellow book lovers. What a pleasure it was to revisit this iconic book after so many years. I was reminded of how special Mr. E Lynn Harris was. He was brave. He was creative. He was the voice for so many beautiful, Black men. Harris and his talents are sorely missed. Thankfully, he left us this book and so many others. I’m so glad that I took the time to be reintroduced to Raymond and his supporting characters.
September 1, 2018
Invisible Life follows the lives of several black men in the 1990s, most of whom are queer and closeted. Because of this, the story deals heavily with homophobia (external and internal), identity struggles, and AIDS. It also discusses the ways that the women in their lives are affected by their actions.
This book is pretty outdated on its ideas of sexuality (and particularly bisexuality) at times, and I couldn’t tell if the author was commenting on that or falling victim to it.
The main character, Raymond, is incredibly selfish. He drags people along with no concern for how it might affect them, so long as *he* is happy. He is very inconsistent, acting immaturely on whims and impulses. Again, I couldn’t tell if the author was condoning or reprimanding this behavior.
I think this book is very much like a time capsule, representative of how it felt to be a black queer man in the 1990s. However, I’m not sure how much cultural value it holds in 2018 because of its outdated portrayals of sexuality and masculinity.
That being said, I did find it both interesting and entertaining. Watching Raymond’s life unfold was something akin to a Shakespearean tragedy. There are two more books in this series, but as of now I have no interest in continuing. Maybe I’ll try one of Harris’ other books?
3 out of 5 stars
This book is pretty outdated on its ideas of sexuality (and particularly bisexuality) at times, and I couldn’t tell if the author was commenting on that or falling victim to it.
The main character, Raymond, is incredibly selfish. He drags people along with no concern for how it might affect them, so long as *he* is happy. He is very inconsistent, acting immaturely on whims and impulses. Again, I couldn’t tell if the author was condoning or reprimanding this behavior.
I think this book is very much like a time capsule, representative of how it felt to be a black queer man in the 1990s. However, I’m not sure how much cultural value it holds in 2018 because of its outdated portrayals of sexuality and masculinity.
That being said, I did find it both interesting and entertaining. Watching Raymond’s life unfold was something akin to a Shakespearean tragedy. There are two more books in this series, but as of now I have no interest in continuing. Maybe I’ll try one of Harris’ other books?
3 out of 5 stars
March 5, 2008
This was the first down low book I ever read and my first book by this author.
The story is developed around two gay male characters...one of which is a flamboyant, out of the closet man....the other is a more conservative, professional man that seems confused and ashamed by his sexuality...Raymond is his name. The two main characters are best friends so we learn two perspectives on gay life for a black man in America.
Needless to say this book was DEEP. A good read and I highly recommend it.
Harris revisits these characters in 2 or 3 later books so I would read this first if you are new to his writings.
The story is developed around two gay male characters...one of which is a flamboyant, out of the closet man....the other is a more conservative, professional man that seems confused and ashamed by his sexuality...Raymond is his name. The two main characters are best friends so we learn two perspectives on gay life for a black man in America.
Needless to say this book was DEEP. A good read and I highly recommend it.
Harris revisits these characters in 2 or 3 later books so I would read this first if you are new to his writings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2008
What could have been a timely exploration of sexual confusion and the AIDS epidemic ended up being a Sweet Valley High book for gay dudes.
May 5, 2021
This read still holds up for 2021. He handled this topic very well for the time. Job well done.
October 9, 2020
I think this is a 2.5-star review. This book is really sweet in many ways, and really dated in others.
Invisible Life would function well in a time capsule of 90s to early aughts pop culture. It’s the “other side of the story” to match the DL hysteria you see on that Oprah/Terry McMillan interview, or in many sitcoms of the time. I imagine this book meant a lot to Black bisexual men who, during this time period, were frequently represented without any compassion or concern by mainstream Black media.
I should note that this is not entirely resolved today, by any means. However, by the time I was growing up (late aughts and early 2010s), my family members were frequently upset about how “I see that gay mess every time I change the channel.” With this increase in screen time, there has been at least some modicum of empathy for the DL phenomenon, and I did find this to be helpful growing up. While I did not find many (any?) affirming messages about queerness from people around me, I think I internalized many of the sympathetic media messages that were transmitted via Glee, Project Runway, Scandal, and my other middle school staples. I think this contributed to my (relatively) lower levels of shame and internalized homophobia, compared to Black queer church kids of earlier generations.
On that note about shame—many of the conclusions Ray makes about the “best path forward in his life” fall strikingly short of the standards many Black queer people have set for ourselves in 2020. But, it would be false to assume that many of the issues Ray encounters (lack of acceptance of bisexuality in the queer community, staunch homophobia of cishet Black women, etc.) aren’t still major factors that motivate many people in this decade to be DL.
In summary, I am surprised but not necessarily disappointed that this book was recommended to me. It is a helpful reminder of the changes since 1994 in a year that often feels like there is no progress that will last.
Invisible Life would function well in a time capsule of 90s to early aughts pop culture. It’s the “other side of the story” to match the DL hysteria you see on that Oprah/Terry McMillan interview, or in many sitcoms of the time. I imagine this book meant a lot to Black bisexual men who, during this time period, were frequently represented without any compassion or concern by mainstream Black media.
I should note that this is not entirely resolved today, by any means. However, by the time I was growing up (late aughts and early 2010s), my family members were frequently upset about how “I see that gay mess every time I change the channel.” With this increase in screen time, there has been at least some modicum of empathy for the DL phenomenon, and I did find this to be helpful growing up. While I did not find many (any?) affirming messages about queerness from people around me, I think I internalized many of the sympathetic media messages that were transmitted via Glee, Project Runway, Scandal, and my other middle school staples. I think this contributed to my (relatively) lower levels of shame and internalized homophobia, compared to Black queer church kids of earlier generations.
On that note about shame—many of the conclusions Ray makes about the “best path forward in his life” fall strikingly short of the standards many Black queer people have set for ourselves in 2020. But, it would be false to assume that many of the issues Ray encounters (lack of acceptance of bisexuality in the queer community, staunch homophobia of cishet Black women, etc.) aren’t still major factors that motivate many people in this decade to be DL.
In summary, I am surprised but not necessarily disappointed that this book was recommended to me. It is a helpful reminder of the changes since 1994 in a year that often feels like there is no progress that will last.
November 23, 2008
Ground breaking, inspiring and life changing. This book opened many doors for black LGBT authors, yet closed many closet doors tighter.
The story was very dear to me because many of the places in New York City I came out in were mentioned. However, it also changed the black gay community forever. This book is seen as an exposé by some and sent some black men who were straddling the fence running for the hills. It also got black women up in arms and left them with little trust in their counterparts.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story.
The story was very dear to me because many of the places in New York City I came out in were mentioned. However, it also changed the black gay community forever. This book is seen as an exposé by some and sent some black men who were straddling the fence running for the hills. It also got black women up in arms and left them with little trust in their counterparts.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story.
August 5, 2016
Incredible read on bisexuality and masking it. I can see why E. Lynn Harris was so highly praised for this back when this first came out. 'Invisible Life' touches on every heartbeat of how one can understand, accept and cope with their sexuality on top of being a person of color. Smooth, honest, and comfortable storytelling. It's almost serene reading this after so many years of social and political change surrounding LGBT and sexual liberation.
Rating - 4.85/5
Rating - 4.85/5
July 1, 2016
Eye Opening, Deep, Heart Wrenching, Engrossing, Insightful & Touching! An Excellent Read! I Loved It!
May 1, 2025
To say this book was phenomenal is a complete understatement by me. I was absolutely obsessed with this from the second I opened it. Literally could not put it down. Captivating story with Ray and a host of other characters. No doubt I was drawn into the story by the thought of hidden love but by the end, I just kept wanting more of Ray and his story. In a time in America that it wasn’t ok to be who you are, to see this struggle play out just really hit him from my youth. Loved it and can’t wait to read book two.
February 16, 2024
If this was the first E. Lynn Harris book I had ever read or if I had not read the sequel to this book before this one, I would not have picked up another E. Lynn Harris book or read the sequel. Ray, the main character, had poor boundaries, was dramatic, selfish, and gave me the ick. I had to keep reminding myself that this book came out in the early 90s and societal attitudes towards being gay were incredibly different than today. I can see how this was an eye opening read then, but it really did not age well.
January 10, 2018
This book follows a young bisexual Black man through adolescence and adulthood and how he navigates life and relationships (friendships, romantic and family). It is a very well-written and vivid book. I am happy that we have made some progress in the acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, but there were parts of the book that were still pretty relevant.
Something random, but enjoyable - I was digging my car out of the snow while listening to this book and the part of the book was talking about how it was 10 below in NYC. It felt very appropriate.
Something random, but enjoyable - I was digging my car out of the snow while listening to this book and the part of the book was talking about how it was 10 below in NYC. It felt very appropriate.
January 2, 2022
Haven't read this since it was first (commercially) published in the mid-90s when I was like so many black teenage boys conflicted by their sexuality. Can't say the book holds up to the same response I had to it some decades ago...but it still has its charms and remains (probably) the best of his Harris's novels.
April 18, 2023
This was a good book to read because of the POV of a "bisexual" male living through the HIV/AIDS period and how it affected every individual. I can't wait to follow the series. My only complaint was that the kept using the term "bisexual" as an insult as if it didn't exist, but it shows people ignorant ideals around sexuality.
October 2, 2025
Reading books by black queer men is always a unique experience for me… Finding out that E. Lynn Harris also grew up in Little Rock hits home (literally and figuratively) in so many different ways.
Although the story is fiction, “Invisible Life” felt like a unique history lesson of the 1980s/90s (?) involving some salient themes at the intersection of blackness, queerness, migration, HIV/AIDS, religion, and more. I wish I found this gem sooner. I’m excited to read more of Harris’s books.
Although the story is fiction, “Invisible Life” felt like a unique history lesson of the 1980s/90s (?) involving some salient themes at the intersection of blackness, queerness, migration, HIV/AIDS, religion, and more. I wish I found this gem sooner. I’m excited to read more of Harris’s books.
May 2, 2025
This book has aged exceptionally badly and it's full of harmful stereotypes and very outdated tropes regarding race, sexuality and gender. The writing is simply bad. I only finished it to see if at any point it would redeem itself and it hasn't.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews