The Gay Place

Since it was published in 1961, some have come to believe that Brammer's novel deserves a space alongside ALL THE KING'S MEN as the most insightful American political novels of the twentieth century. Certainly Brammer's premature death and the fact that he never wrote another book have helped burnish THE GAY PLACE's mystique. It is really three interlocking novellas in one, connected by the titanic figure Arthur Fenstemaker, the exuberant governor of Texas and the state's dominant political figure. George Guidall is alive to the oddballs, scamps, and sleazebags who constantly make appearances in Brammer's roiling work. He is even more attuned to the three protagonists, who wrestle with complex challenges concerning love, duty, and the balance between public responsibility and personal fulfillment. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine