This lovely story tells the story of two men in Edwardian England, a dangerous time for gay relationships. The novel opens in 1903, just eight years after Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labor after being found guilty of “gross indecency.”
Robbie is a shy, orhpaned young man whose unsympathetic uncle has sent him into the country to study with a clergyman to prepare for university. While there, Robbie meets his neighbor—twenty-nine-year-old Anton, a man who has fled London society to escape a failed marriage and the death of his dreams of promoting a socialist government. Anton is doing what he can to help improve the lives of the poor in the village; Robbie is discovering that, instead of academics, he is drawn inexorably toward art. The two meet and fall in love, beginning a passionate but necessarily secret relationship.
A misunderstanding drives them apart, and Robbie goes to London to enroll in an art school. Tormented by his longing for Anton, he seeks comfort in casual encounters—a risky decision that nearly destroys him.
Eventually, the two reunite. Robbie begins to make a name for himself as a portraitist in London society. On weekends, he returns to the country to be with Anton, who has once again taken up the socialist cause. However, the more renown the two men achieve, the more danger they face from the possible exposure of their illegal relationship.
Both characters are complex, very real, and oh so human. I felt deeply for their dilemma. The portrayal of the time period is well researched and vivid. As the story progresses, I wanted so much for Robbie and Anton to find their happy ever after, yet the fear that such an outcome was impossible hangs over the story like the ever-descending pendulum in Poe’s famous story. To Cowell’s credit, I didn’t know how the novel would turn out until very, very close to the end.
Considering the rising discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in today’s world, I think this book is an important read.
Ruth Hull Chatlien 