In Tongues by Thomas Grattan

Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025--San Antonio

In Tongues by Thomas Grattan is a good story but has a central character I didn't like.  Gordon reminds me of too many young men (especially young gay men) who wander through life making bad decisions no matter what good opportunities come along.  One of his biggest problems is not having any sense of responsibility.  Money, when it comes, is to be blown irresponsibly.  Friends are persons to take advantage of when needed without feeling bad about it.  It's like he feels he deserves every opportunity that comes along while not needing to feel grateful or to avoid taking advantage of those who have provided it.  He fails over and over again in keeping friends, keeping jobs, in simply living life.  By the end of the novel, he seems to have finally figured some things out and made some good decisions, but his love life is still unsettled and may never become so.  I considered quitting reading the book during the first quarter of it, because I found no pleasure in reading about such a person.  But the story eventually becomes more interesting because of the persons around him--the lesbian friends he makes, the older gay art dealer and his fickle younger life partner who take him under his wing, his ultra-conservative religious father and his second wife, etc.  The book was named one of the top gay novels of 2024 and the author won a literary prize for it.  I can see why.  Sometimes, however, there are good novels that are just not enjoyable to read for a specific reason.  My final rating for the book is 4 stars out of 5 with the lost point being for the beginning when there no motivation was developed to make me want to continue reading about the life of this young man.