In Such Dark Places

I knew nothing about this novel except that, as an Alyson publication, it had to have a gay theme. It is excellent. It involves some lower-class losers in the squalid tenements of Manhattan. Eugene is an underemployed photographer trying to survive the rough life of the streets. The writing is crisp, clear, and often brilliantly poetic, especially the unexpected similes that sparkle like diamonds among all the surrounding grayness. The novel is very cinematic, including a twist ending that I really didn't see coming. This is the type of novel that the French existentials would praise for both its realistic subject and its themes of the poor doomed individuals who don't stand a chance in this vicious world. There are some well-delineated characters: an abandoned street kid, a priest, a woman who briefly shares Eugene's apartment, a neighborhood stud who has a rat-killing obsession. If you want light gay froth, this is not for you. But if you want a really serious, heavy look at conflicted gays in the lower depths, this one is worth a look.