For most parts, Daniel is swimming in his own shame for having such feelings for a man, and never does redeem himself.īaldwin’s story-telling is absolutely alluring in the first half, reminiscent of classical masters of the past, but loses its charm as the plot progresses. Intentional or not, the book could’ve been a little more meditative about same-sex relations. Perhaps the author deliberately made the protagonist not very likable, to mitigate the shock of Daniel’s homosexuality – orthodox readers can maybe rationalize that only despicable personalities can feel that way.

It makes his ‘love’ ring hollow & their ‘losses’ not worth getting worked up over.

What didn’t work for me in the story was just how hedonistic & extremely self-centered Daniel is he has no job and leeches off others. For Baldwin to defy such warnings and still publish what would’ve have been scandalous story for the time, is applause-worthy. In fact, the author was warned by a publisher to not go ahead with it, claiming it would “ruin his career” & “alienate his reader”. There’s no doubt that ‘Giovanni’s Room’ is a historic & exceptionally brave book by Baldwin, considering it came out in 1956. Some parts of the book felt like they had been ‘made-up’ in a way that would perhaps not upset conservative audience. They make intense declarations of love, but do little to make it believable. There’s a dramatic bond between the two leads, as if they are tragic leads from a Shakespearean play. Despite being set in the 20th century, it felt older, and if not for the queer theme, it reads like several stories we’ve already read before. I had high expectations with this book, since I haven’t read much queer literature, but was slightly disappointed with how cosmetic it seemed at points. The room symbolizes their shared love, lust and limits. The title is of relevance, because like Giovanni’s claustrophobic messy room, Daniel feels that their relationship was choking him. Daniel’s denial of his sexuality leads to tragic consequences when his girlfriend Hella comes back to Paris. They meet at a bar and cannot keep their eyes off each other and soon find themselves sharing Giovanni’s cramped room… and bed. Let’s talk about the plot – it focuses on a Parisian love affair between the American Daniel and the fatally attractive Italian Giovanni. But finally stumbled upon a Penguin classic edition at a bookstore, when I wasn’t even looking for it (was out to buy graphic novels). And quite often than not, it would be out of stock. Been wanting to read this one for a while, but strangely, it had been hard to find a reasonably priced copy online.

32 this year – ‘Giovanni’s Room’ by James Baldwin.

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