Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Why Not by Victor J. Banis

The Why NotThe Why Not by Victor J. Banis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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".

View all my reviews

No comments: