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The Quirk
Book by Merrick, Gordon
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
6 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Merrick
20 books89 followersSon of a stockbroker, Merrick studied French Literature at Princeton before becoming an actor on Broadway. Prior to WWII he landed a role in Kaufman & Hart's The Man Who Came to Dinner and even became Hart's lover for a time. Due to a hearing problem he had a draft deferrment but served in the O.S.S. rising to the rank of Captain for his service in France. His first novel, The Strumpet Wind (1947), told of an American spy in France during WWII. "I have not imagined the world in which these people lived," he wrote.
Besides appearing on Broadway, he worked as a reporter on many newspapers. He also contributed book reviews and articles to The New Republic, Ikonos and other periodicals. In all, Merrick wrote 13 books, but it was his specialized novels that dealt with gay issues which became best-sellers. Merrick's works are rarely included in anthologies, and few discussions of American gay authors mention him. Some dismiss Merrick because of his obvious romanticism; others do so because he sprinkles explicit sex scenes in these later novels.
Merrick examines the likelihood of self-actualization, identity politics and the role that power plays in relationships. He rejected socially-imposed roles and labels, insisting that each gay person question the assumptions underlying their life. Gordon Merrick broke new ground that has only recently become fertile. Deeper probing into Merrick's works will undoubtedly yield richer understandings of the complex social dynamics that construct networks of control over human sexuality.
Besides appearing on Broadway, he worked as a reporter on many newspapers. He also contributed book reviews and articles to The New Republic, Ikonos and other periodicals. In all, Merrick wrote 13 books, but it was his specialized novels that dealt with gay issues which became best-sellers. Merrick's works are rarely included in anthologies, and few discussions of American gay authors mention him. Some dismiss Merrick because of his obvious romanticism; others do so because he sprinkles explicit sex scenes in these later novels.
Merrick examines the likelihood of self-actualization, identity politics and the role that power plays in relationships. He rejected socially-imposed roles and labels, insisting that each gay person question the assumptions underlying their life. Gordon Merrick broke new ground that has only recently become fertile. Deeper probing into Merrick's works will undoubtedly yield richer understandings of the complex social dynamics that construct networks of control over human sexuality.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 14, 2018
I read this one a looooong time ago, and though I wouldn't call it a 'favorite' read, it's one you tend to remember for whatever reason. It does have a lovely cover -- I have the original 1978 paperback edition, given to me by a friend who was 'done' with soap opera, no matter how gay it might be, and looking for something more along the lines of a gay romp with the verve of Tomb Raider or that Jones dude with the hat and whip, nudge, wink.
The story's set in Paris (which might be a cliché: they don't make wisecracks about "Gay Pahree" for nothing...), and this was one of a suite of gay books issued by Avon back in the days when (gasp!) just the presence in a book of gay characters or situations would make it noteworthy, not to say notorious.
The Quirk is what it is: Parisian gay soap opera! Go into it looking for such content and it won't disappoint. It's also about half the weight of Merrick's later works, so you're done before the "ordinary-ness" of the text can perhaps begin to pall. I did read it a second time many years later, and my original "four star" view of it slithered to three ... because there really isn't anything extraordinary about it to merit a fourth star. And in the forty years since it came out, so very many gay books have been published that, frankly, Merrick is up against insuperable competition in today's market.
It's a nice book, and Merrick writes Paris so well, he clearly knows it ... to me, a firm three stars.
The story's set in Paris (which might be a cliché: they don't make wisecracks about "Gay Pahree" for nothing...), and this was one of a suite of gay books issued by Avon back in the days when (gasp!) just the presence in a book of gay characters or situations would make it noteworthy, not to say notorious.
The Quirk is what it is: Parisian gay soap opera! Go into it looking for such content and it won't disappoint. It's also about half the weight of Merrick's later works, so you're done before the "ordinary-ness" of the text can perhaps begin to pall. I did read it a second time many years later, and my original "four star" view of it slithered to three ... because there really isn't anything extraordinary about it to merit a fourth star. And in the forty years since it came out, so very many gay books have been published that, frankly, Merrick is up against insuperable competition in today's market.
It's a nice book, and Merrick writes Paris so well, he clearly knows it ... to me, a firm three stars.
February 25, 2022
First Avon printing July 1978
I was a bookseller then, probably at B. Dalton's in Atlanta, GA, unless I was still at Georgia State University Bookstore.
THE QUIRK is an original publication of Avon Books. This work has never before been published in book form.
I was already familiar with Gordon Merrick's work by then, which was why I grabbed it up as quickly as I did.
They're sexy and they're fun, that's why I love his gay novels.
And on the last page and the back cover are a couple of phone numbers. One wonders ...
I was a bookseller then, probably at B. Dalton's in Atlanta, GA, unless I was still at Georgia State University Bookstore.
THE QUIRK is an original publication of Avon Books. This work has never before been published in book form.
I was already familiar with Gordon Merrick's work by then, which was why I grabbed it up as quickly as I did.
They're sexy and they're fun, that's why I love his gay novels.
And on the last page and the back cover are a couple of phone numbers. One wonders ...
May 8, 2021
I was enjoying this typically trashy Gordon Merrick book when the plot took a wayward turn in the last third of the book and ended with a funny twist. If you like Merrick’s books, you will enjoy this one. It’s set in Paris in the early 1960s. Otherwise, start with the Peter and Charley trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews