The Man on the Third Floor

Walter is the epitome of success: editor at a New York publishing firm, husband of a capable wife, and father of two children. He wants nothing more--until he meets Barry, a handsome tradesman who sparks Walter's latent homosexuality. Narrator Paul Michael takes a conversational approach, which perfectly fits this affecting novel about the perils of being gay in 1950s America. Using careful pacing and a just-right level of emotion, Michael pulls the listener into Walter's life of deception and fear of being discovered as he commits to a relationship with a man. Michael's sensitive performance helps listeners appreciate Walter's conflicted feelings of love for both his family and Barry, played out in the McCarthy era, a time of pervasive homophobia. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

September 3, 2012
In her 10th novel (after Short Pleasures), Bernays deftly articulates the difficulties faced by homosexuals during the McCarthy witch-hunt years. Walter Samson is a senior editor at Griffin House, a respected Manhattan publisher, where he discovers the right-wing “cash cow” author Edgar Fleming. Walter also meets Barry Rogers, a carpet-layer who, like Walter, is a closeted homosexual, and Walter soon persuades Barry to accept a position as handyman and chauffeur for the Samsons and to move into their home. Sheltered under one roof, the duo covertly indulge one another’s sexual appetites, and while Walter confesses that Barry is “the deepest, most satisfying love of my life,” he also fears losing his social standing and family. Walter’s daughter grows wise to her father’s exploits, followed by their blackmailing cook. After hearing word of Communist sympathizers in Griffin’s employ, Edgar abandons his publisher in a huff, and Walter’s “snake pit” deepens after a reporter exposes his affair. Bernays explores a dramatic era in American history and the psyches of her characters with equal ease in this well-written and entertaining new novel. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic.