Gold Mine Processing Manager Kelly Noble recommends The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst.
When it comes to exceptional writing skills, Alan Hollinghurst is among the best. In his 1988 novel, The Swimming Pool Library, Hollinghurst authors an exquisite story that capture gay life in pre-AIDs London.
It is a novel of privilege, wealth, homosexuality, history, and social class.
The novel centers on the life of a young William Beckworth. Young, wealthy and gay, William’s life is all about what privilege allows. He moves from sexual exploit to sexual exploit without blinking an eye. The novel is set before the AIDs crisis and captures a time when free love was all that some people wanted.
As the story moves forward, William saves the life of an elderly aristocrat, Lord Charles Nantwich. Nantwich offers William the opportunity to write his memoirs. William starts by reading old dairies and comes to find that Lord Nantwich is also gay but lived through a different time. At one point, Lord Nantwich was imprisoned for the crime of homosexuality.
This is true history and a plug to the brave journey many young men faced growing up in a homophobic world.
In the end, William declines to write the memoir. He learns through his research of his own family’s participation in these criminal prosecutions. Most of the crimes were brought to trial by William’s grandfather. This is an exceptional novel that approaches a controversial topic with sensitivity and depth. As with many LGBTQ+ novels, the ending is not one of happiness. The novel ends with William letting go of his boyfriend and moving on with his life. It always seems difficult to find a happy conclusion in this genre. Such as life!
Overall, Alan Hollinghurst is an exceptional writer. The quality of the writing cannot be understated. If I had to site an example of what a British novel should read like, The Swimming Pool Library, would be it. Hollinghurst captures not only British dialogue but something deeper. There is something quintessential British about this novel.
