Almost History (Contemporary Fiction, Plume) - Softcover

Bram's fourth novel (In Memory of Angel Clare, 1989, etc.) dramatizes 35 years in the life of a career diplomat who comes out of the closet; the backdrop consists of political intrigue in the Philippines during the Marcos era. The result is an authoritative, very readable (and mostly mainstream) novel. Jim Goodall joins the Foreign Service in the early 1950's, at the height of the McCarthy era, when suspected homosexuals are hounded from the service as security risks. Goodall is repressed, vaguely attracted to men but unwilling to admit it, until the firing of one diplomat for ``perversion'' causes Goodall and fellow diplomat Dave Wheeler, bisexual, to discuss Goodall's sex life, or lack thereof, resulting in Goodall's first real sexual experience at a party/orgy. The personal narrative is rounded out by Goodall's sister's family, particularly by niece Meg, who loses a boyfriend to ``Uncle Jim''--increasingly active sexually--but stays close to him. Bram rotates between personal instances and political ones- -Goodall is serving as a diplomat in difficult times, and Bram evocatively records Philippine and Vietnamese crises in convincing fashion. Meanwhile, Goodall goes to gay bars, to the baths, and learns to enjoy one-night stands, while Meg engages in affairs and becomes a historian. Their two lives come together when she decides to do research in Manila. They both get involved with the Marcoses, Goodall with Ferdinand (and sexually with Imelda's hairdresser) and Meg with Imelda. A good deal of intrigue isn't resolved until Imelda helps out, in fact, and both Goodall and Meg save a life by relinquishing some potent information that could damage the Marcos regime. An epilogue, however, makes it clear that both principals prosper while the Marcos regime vanishes. Some of this is programmatic, but Bram convincingly re-creates a historical moment from a gay perspective. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Bram has described himself as "a gay novelist . . . who tries to treat gayness as just one strand in a life that has more similarities with 'mainstream' life than dissimilarities, without denying the similarities." His latest novel provides a good example of this approach. Its protagonist happens to be a gay foreign service officer who only begins to come to terms with his sexuality when he reaches his mid-40s. But while his awakening is undeniably a significant (and sometimes a bit forced) thread within the story, it is not the main thrust. Rather, Bram is concerned with the moral and political complications inherent in diplomatic life: personal integrity versus truth and "nation al interest." The Marcos-era Philippines with its glitter, corruption, and human rights abridgements provides the ideal setting for this thought-provoking story. Without its gay thread it might even have had a shot at best-sellerdom--maybe someday this will not matter but probably not yet. Still, this is an excellent choice for most public libraries.
- David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.