Caged Time

by Erik S. Meyers

In 1930s New York, David Tarniss leads a quiet life as a cab driver-too quiet-In reality he is hiding a dark secret, his homosexuality, something for which he will pay dearly due to the unique circumstances of the time.

A fascinating, if disturbing, story about the challenges that confronted gays (and Jews) in 1930s New York.

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

Currently in Austria, I'm an American abroad for years & years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, the longest in Germany.

I'm the author of the Sally Witherspoon murder mystery series Death in the Ozarks & Murder on the Mississippi, an award-winning, bestselling Jewish LGBTQ historic fiction novel Caged Time, a short story anthology Connections, and a business book The Accidental Change Agent.

Reading and writing are my passions, when I'm not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere.

Reviews

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1937. David Tarniss is a New York cab driver. He lives a solitary life in his apartment.

David has a secret he only shares with one friend. He is a homosexual. His friend Millicent (Milli) is his devoted confidant.

He frequents the same café and restaurant nearly every night. He is a lonely person who hopes every day for a miracle to happen.

He wishes to meet a partner to share his life with. When his brother Samuel and sister in law Pearl invite him to dinner,
he reluctantly accepts.

It is at this dinner he meets his brother's new assistant. It is Nathan.

Nathan appears to be the miracle he desperately wanted in his life. They run into each other at David's favorite café, get to talking more, and decide to meet on their day off at the Met.

Their conversations are wonderful. Their days could not be better.

Nathan suggests they spend some time going on a car trip to the country. David expects another perfect day, but upon seeing a remote run down farm house, Nathan's personality suddenly turns dark and aggressive.

He will not explain his behavior to David. They return home. Nathan leaves David at the doorstep of his apartment.

David could not know that Nathan is a psychologically broken soul due to terrible sexual abuse years earlier. The deserted house brought this Ptsd out.

Nathan will drop out of David's life for months. When he does return, they share an intimate night. David has new hopes and believes they will have a life together.

The end of the story is shattering and unexpected.

Five Stars

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm being a bit generous with a 5-star rating, but this novella deserves it for a number of reasons. Though the protagonist is irritatingly self-centred, the story is fast moving, empathetic, and convincingly set.

The ending just blew me away completely!

Looking forward to more from this author.

[PaperMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in two minds about this one. Realistic but rather brutal depiction of what life for gay men living in post-WW2 NYC was like. Definitely not a romance! I wanted to like this more but will probably not choose to re-read.

[Michele Quirke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caged Time is an emotional, heart-breaking tale of a gay man living in 1930s New York. And when I say heartbreaking, I mean it. Have your tissues ready.

It's obvious that a lot of research went into this book, which I would classify as historical fiction. I haven't read many books from this time period so it was interesting to see that side of things.

Well written and perfectly edited, this book held my interest from the very beginning. I was eager to see if/when things would start looking up for David. His life is rough, no doubt about that. Rough and dangerous. I don't think I've ever felt worse for a fictional character, and that is really saying something since I read a ton of books. Nothing seemed to go right for David at all.

And that ending!! I can't say more than that, but suffice it to say that I was completely taken aback. Blown away, really. I did not, in a million years, see that ending coming. Makes me wonder if this is the start of a series. I hope so! My heart goes out to David and Nathan, two men struggling to admit who they are in a time where being gay puts your safety at risk.

I will say, once in awhile David aggravated me. He was quick to anger and had a lot of issues (namely his dismal outlook on life), but that's to be expected from someone in his circumstances. I did love that he tried to make the most of his life, even though he was forced to keep his sexuality a secret from his family and coworkers. Thank goodness for his bff Milli!

Overall, this was a really emotional book and had me eager to continue reading! I look forward to reading more by this author!

[B. Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book attracted me for it's unique topic: being gay during a time as hard as the 1930s. The setting alone makes for great stories. This is a character-driven novel that shows you the internal and external struggles of a young man searching for something that seems impossible to find: love.
I sympathized with David, and I could feel close to him. I think the author does a really good job, and in my opinion, any reader can comprehend David's plight and feel his pain, even if they aren't gay themselves. That's what's wonderful about this book.
I would have liked a little more emotions, but that's something very personal.
The end was quite surprising. Very realistic, very shocking, and it left me thinking for several hours after I put the book down.

[K.T. McGivens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caged Time is a well written, well researched, novel depicting a gay man’s struggle in the New York City of the 1930’s. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, I found the book easy to read mostly because of the likable nature of the main character, David, who the author brings to life. I sympathized with his pain and struggle to be himself in a non-accepting world that was often dangerous. I wanted David to find the peace and love he searched for and was hopeful when the character Nathan appeared. The ending is shocking, but I felt realistic. This is a heartfelt story and I highly recommend it.

[M.A. Quigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caged Time had me hooked from start to finish wanting to know what would happen to David and if he’d get together with Nathan. The book is well written and researched about being gay in New York in the 1930s and shows how men tried to keep their sexuality a secret. Many hid behind their sexuality by getting married to show the world they were ‘normal’. I felt sorry for David and everything that happened to him. He was lucky to have a true friend in Millicent, someone who listened and cared about him. I wasn’t expecting the ending but things like that did happen back then. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with their sexual identity or would like a good read.

[Ellie Yarde · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Tarniss’ life is one of monotony, of reliving the same tasks each week, and coming out of them having gained nothing. He is desperately lonely, but between being shy and gay in 1930s New York, he can’t seem to be himself long enough to make meaningful relationships. No one knows he is gay, and he finds himself living a double life, only truly being himself when he is alone.

When, at an uncomfortable visit to his brother’s for dinner, he meets Nathan, his brother’s colleague, things seem to look up for David. Nathan has a lot in common with David, and they get on well. A day out together leaves David reeling, desperate to spend more time with Nathan, although not sure if he’s also gay and a potential boyfriend, or just a friend. However, things quickly start to go wrong, David finds himself continuously dropped, and people always seem to leave him.

I was not entirely sure what to expect when going into this book. I have read many historical fiction books before, set during various periods of the 1900s, but never one from the perspective of a gay man, pre World War 2. It is a time when certain things are starting to look up, the economy is recovering from the Great Depression, and people are rebuilding their lives, and yet, David cannot seem to share in the joy that things are getting better because, for him, they are not. Homosexuality wasn’t just frowned upon, it was detested. David can’t be himself for his own safety, he can’t trust people around him to know what he is, and accept him for it. It is very easy to sympathise with David. His life is not what he wants it to be, all he wants is to be himself and for that to be okay, but it is not something that is about to happen for him.

David meets a lot of different people in this book, who all have very interesting perspectives on him and his situation. The first is Millicent, who is the only person who knows he is gay and openly accepts him for it. She has been his best friend for years, and, although they don’t keep in touch as much as they want to, she is always there for him, and ready to pop round if he needs her. I loved Millicent, she was an absolutely wonderful character, and friend, to read about. The second would probably be Nathan. He is a difficult character to place. I wasn’t sure whether to like him or not. While David seems infatuated with him, Nathan never treats David particularly well. The third character I would like to mention is Charles. He is not featured a lot, but he offers the unique perspective in this novel of someone who has learnt someone close to him is gay, and has come to accept it, despite not agreeing with it, nor completely understanding it.

It is interesting, although heart-breaking, to read about all the struggles people faced just for being themselves. I really did not take the “fascinating, if disturbing” part of the blurb as seriously as I should have. There are some scenes in this book that definitely disturb, covering topics such as rape and suicide. It is difficult to read about people being treated so poorly, and having such thoughts simply because of who they are.

If I had any problems with this book, it was that I struggled to connect with some of the characters. I empathised with David, but I wish there was more of an insight into his emotions. I was a little confused over why he was so obsessed with Nathan, because there never seems to be much of an explanation as to how David feels when he is around him, other than that he thinks he might have found someone he could have a relationship with. This is unfortunate, because I am certain I could have connected with the characters a lot, as the world-building is fabulous.

This is definitely an excellent read, and a very unique one. I have never come across a book like this before. It is a gripping story, that I read in one day, and I would definitely be interested in reading more by this author.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotional and heartbreaking book. I thought this book was well written and seemed to be well researched. I haven’t read many books from this time period and it was interesting to read a book in the setting and time. David is lonely but cannot be himself for fear of what can happen. I have mixed emotions about this character. Sometimes, his actions and outlook really aggravated me, and other times I could understand where he was coming from. Though there are certain aspects of the book that I wish had a little more insight into why David did certain things. There were several other characters and while well written weren’t my favorite. My favorite character was David’s best friend Millicent. She was wonderful and loving.
Overall a well-written book that enjoyed but that ending. I was not expecting it to end that way.

Something I found super interesting in my discovery to learn a little more about this author is that this book is based on a real person. The author wrote this book after researching his family background and finding information about a great-uncle. He had previously heard a sad family story about said uncle and all the information he found confirmed it to be true. So he set out to write his great-uncle’s story, though a fictional version since he wasn’t around in the 30s to be able to interview his great-uncle.
* I was given this eBook in return for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. *

[John St. Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erik Meyers' “Caged Time” immediately pulled me in because of its setting: 1930s New York City. The author obviously spent a great deal of time researching this time period and location, and this pays off with authentic descriptions and language, which were a delight to read. The novel's main character, David, lives a quiet and lonely life, driving his cab and interacting with a cross-section of society. David also happens to be gay, during a time where the entire world was openly hostile towards homosexuality. David just wants to find love, and this task is nearly impossible. David's angst and self-doubt, his pain, his loss, his desires, and ultimately the novel's devastating conclusion will leave you stunned. The author did a magnificent job of allowing the reader to walk a mile in David's shoes. It's a journey you'll be thinking about well after you finish the book. Bravo to this story, and its author!

[Susan Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back of this book says “A fascinating, of disturbing story...” and I have to say that was an accurate description! I can’t say I liked these characters but I was definitely fascinated to see how things turned out. And I was disturbed by the ending. This is the debut novel for this author and I know he’s working on a murder mystery series next and I’m curious to read it.

[Beth Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and just couldn't put it down The reader is really drawn in by all the trials and tribulations the protagonist faces in his never-ending search for love, and you keep hoping that all will turn out well. The ending is a harsh reminder that some searches can last a lifetime.

[Patty Gilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caged Time by Erik S. Meyers, was an emotional and heartbreaking story. The storyline of the novel was very well written and the research the author did seemed spot on! I don’t typically read novels like this one in which they are in this specific time period, but it was interesting if only a bit slow. Main character, David, is lonely but is afraid to be himself for fear of what could happen to him. I do feel contradictory feelings about David though, as his actions at times really irritated me even though I could understand why he acted that way. At times though I wish the audience received more backstory or explanation behind his actions. Other characters in the novel were okay, but they weren’t the best. Overall, this a four star read due to the well-written grammar with plot and storyline.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a number of books both fiction and non-fiction about life as a gay man in America from the 30s through the 60s and was delighted to find this gem. I was completely absorbed into the time period and seeing David struggle with the delicate balancing act of revealing himself to some people in order to make those connections we all need for friendship, love and physical closeness while also having to hide from most of the world was heartbreaking. The ending was a stunner. I'm hoping we have more coming soon from this author.

[Garrick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written tight story set in New York in the 1930s about David, a Jewish taxi driver in search of friendship and more. Atmospheric and highly recommended reading.

[ButtonsMom2003]

I'm declining to leave a rating for this book. I did finish it but I'm not sure what else to say except that I think I read it way differently than most of the other reviewers here on Goodreads.

[Authors favourite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not gay though, but, it was a Really emotional read
David’s story hit hard. It’s a raw look at what it meant to be gay in 1930s New York