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Why Not ?
Find continuing enjoyment and entertainment from the vibrant contemporary poetic style delivered by this author! Be sure to check out a couple of Ric Hill’s other YOU THINK, You’ve Got Problems ! and OF COURSE...
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 5, 2025
Without context, The Why Not comes across as a decent literary novel about gay culture in the 1960s. I might argue that it tries too hard (and also not hard enough) to be nominated for a prize. Certainly it would be worth admiration for showcasing diverse LGBT+ experiences in a pre-Stonewall era. I'd probably give it three stars.
But with context, The Why Not is historically significant as hell. First published in October 1966—three years before the Stonewall Uprising—it eerily anticipates the social tensions that would soon ignite. Through a string of vivid vignettes, we meet a wide cast of characters orbiting The Why Not, a shabby-but-vital gay bar.
Victor J. Banis, the undisputed king of Gothic romance, gay pulp, and boundary-pushing mass-market fiction, took a gamble here. At the time, even sleaze publishers balked at novels featuring gay characters without a tragic or moralizing bent. Banis persuaded Greenleaf Classics to take the plunge with this “test” title—and the experiment worked. The book opened a door for mainstream gay fiction, helping to fuel the Sexual Revolution one paperback at a time.
That said, its spotlight was short-lived. Just one month later, Song of the Loon hit shelves and became unequivocally the most influential gay text of the decade. Optimistic, sensual, and unapologetically joyous, Loon inspired a wave of queer readers and writers to step out of the shadows.
The Why Not, by contrast, isn't always a happy text. Crooked cops extort the queer community for cash or sexual favors, fragile relationships break and mend, body-image becomes a struggle or a source of overconfidence. The characters are sketched a bit thin, but the variety is rich. If Banis had focused on fewer lives the narrative might’ve been stronger, but it would have also felt less comprehensive.
The prose is lyrical, efficient, and far more polished than much of Banis’s pulp output. You can tell this one mattered to him. The novel wasn't just as a paycheck but a proof of concept: queer literature could be well-written, marketable, and resonant. Ironically, its one real flaw may be restraint. From a publisher known for steamy paperbacks, this story is practically PG. A little extra heat might've boosted its sales and notoriety to Loon levels.
In the era of RuPaul and other prime-time queer representation, The Why Not’s characters may not shock or titillate modern readers the way they once did. Back then, every word would have been an education to readers outside of San Francisco. Though the content feels less original now, it still holds up as a finely-written tale of gay community in a time of great oppression. It seems every day we inch back toward that unfortunate time, making this novel increasingly relevant again.
But with context, The Why Not is historically significant as hell. First published in October 1966—three years before the Stonewall Uprising—it eerily anticipates the social tensions that would soon ignite. Through a string of vivid vignettes, we meet a wide cast of characters orbiting The Why Not, a shabby-but-vital gay bar.
Victor J. Banis, the undisputed king of Gothic romance, gay pulp, and boundary-pushing mass-market fiction, took a gamble here. At the time, even sleaze publishers balked at novels featuring gay characters without a tragic or moralizing bent. Banis persuaded Greenleaf Classics to take the plunge with this “test” title—and the experiment worked. The book opened a door for mainstream gay fiction, helping to fuel the Sexual Revolution one paperback at a time.
That said, its spotlight was short-lived. Just one month later, Song of the Loon hit shelves and became unequivocally the most influential gay text of the decade. Optimistic, sensual, and unapologetically joyous, Loon inspired a wave of queer readers and writers to step out of the shadows.
The Why Not, by contrast, isn't always a happy text. Crooked cops extort the queer community for cash or sexual favors, fragile relationships break and mend, body-image becomes a struggle or a source of overconfidence. The characters are sketched a bit thin, but the variety is rich. If Banis had focused on fewer lives the narrative might’ve been stronger, but it would have also felt less comprehensive.
The prose is lyrical, efficient, and far more polished than much of Banis’s pulp output. You can tell this one mattered to him. The novel wasn't just as a paycheck but a proof of concept: queer literature could be well-written, marketable, and resonant. Ironically, its one real flaw may be restraint. From a publisher known for steamy paperbacks, this story is practically PG. A little extra heat might've boosted its sales and notoriety to Loon levels.
In the era of RuPaul and other prime-time queer representation, The Why Not’s characters may not shock or titillate modern readers the way they once did. Back then, every word would have been an education to readers outside of San Francisco. Though the content feels less original now, it still holds up as a finely-written tale of gay community in a time of great oppression. It seems every day we inch back toward that unfortunate time, making this novel increasingly relevant again.
March 20, 2019
I'd never heard of the author, or this, supposedly his best work, until reading an elegy for him last week in Lambda Literary News, due to his recent passing. He was a very prolific writer of largely underground gay pulp novels, and while this one did get a 'legit' publisher, it does bear the hallmarks of his pulpier work - which is why I can't really give it more than 3 stars, although it IS fascinating from the historical perspective. The prose style rarely elevates above the prosaic, and the characters are all pretty much single dimensional. It's NOT particularly salacious or erotic, and coming 2 years after John Rechy's seminal (no pun intended) City of Night, it is not as shocking as one might expect. It actually kind of reminded me of Maupin's Tales of the City books, but set in L.A., and with a somewhat seedier clientele. It is a quick read, and a fun one, but not of lasting literary value.
February 3, 2010
Though I purchased this book a few weeks ago, I wasn't planning to read today until I added it to a monthly challenge list. At that point I read Aleksandr's review and couldn't wait to begin. He said it far better than I because all I can say at this point is, damn. Read this book. And don't skip the FOREWARD either.
I don't care who you are, read this book.
I don't care who you are, read this book.
September 28, 2012
A great book.
Written as a series of connected vignettes, my only complaint is I didn't feel the characterizations were strong enough for me to follow who was who, or perhaps there were just too many short ideas. The main point though is the ideas all worked.
Some were happy, some were sad, a fantastic portrait of gay life in the early 1960's, possibly one of the best I've read. Such a wide range of people and ideas presented, it really made you feel like you were there. From drag queens and sex parties to a quiet couple's night in, clashes with the police and the vice squad, married men, single men, it was such a great well-rounded portrait of gay life.
Proof-reading would have been nice. A "fish crashing into his jaw" is less impressive than a "fist crashing into his jaw".
Written as a series of connected vignettes, my only complaint is I didn't feel the characterizations were strong enough for me to follow who was who, or perhaps there were just too many short ideas. The main point though is the ideas all worked.
Some were happy, some were sad, a fantastic portrait of gay life in the early 1960's, possibly one of the best I've read. Such a wide range of people and ideas presented, it really made you feel like you were there. From drag queens and sex parties to a quiet couple's night in, clashes with the police and the vice squad, married men, single men, it was such a great well-rounded portrait of gay life.
Proof-reading would have been nice. A "fish crashing into his jaw" is less impressive than a "fist crashing into his jaw".
October 13, 2014
Painful, sad, disturbing, downright depressing.
I get this, and it fucking hurts, but at the same time, as a mostly straight girl who didn't live those years, I don't really feel this as deep as I'm supposed to.
But gosh, I'm going to need about ten fluffy love stories to recover from this one.
I get this, and it fucking hurts, but at the same time, as a mostly straight girl who didn't live those years, I don't really feel this as deep as I'm supposed to.
But gosh, I'm going to need about ten fluffy love stories to recover from this one.
May 9, 2011
Really fascinating, but a bit difficult for me because pretty much each scene is a different set of characters, and it seemed like a number of them you only met once. The main character is really not a person, but a gay bar -- The Why Not. This is Los Angeles in the 1960's, though, and life for men who go to a gay bar can be tragic - raids, thugs, brutality. As a piece of gay history, this book felt important and I hope a lot of people read it.
April 16, 2012
I wish there was a higher rating on goodreads than just the standard five stars. This one goes beyond that for me. Often I give a book 5 if it makes me happy or really ruins me emotionally, but this one stayed with me for weeks after reading it. Whether you're into m/m romance or just like reading incredibly well done stories that grab you and don't let you go, this is it.
June 22, 2011
Not a happy read. Sad & violent. Longing, lost & lonely men.
August 3, 2011
Mr. Banis's writing is my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews