White understands the intricate weaving of the fabric of queer life. His trilogy had exposed the intertwining myriad faces of queer people. Capturing the core philosophy of queer life in expository novel is a dangerous task because it may misrepresent the whole queer populace. On one hand, White was able to give his readers a firm and stable understanding of queer life, without compromising the elements of a good novel. And this is the reason why he is first in the list of my LGBT readings.
He speaks of beauty and elegance of young queer life, the treacherous hide-seek of the adulthood, the joy of exploration, the tears of the queer eyes, the mute pain of queer heart, the love and affection of the four arms of two men, desire, sex, infidelity, honesty, the mirth of skirmishing the bodies of men, the reciprocation and non-reciprocation, confusion and stability, the tremendous responsibilities of a queer person both personal and social, and the melancholy and sadness of knowing that all of your queer friends are one by one retreating from the stage and knowing that in the end, it is you, and only you who will carry the lifelong memories of joy, love, anger, pain and hate. He summed up the full landscape of queer life in three books and one will be surprised that a queer life is as same as the life of the so called “normal” people.
White showed that we are just like anyone. We have family. We know pain. We know love. We are not less than any human being.
White’s Trilogy:
A Boy’s Own Story
The Beautiful Room is Empty
Farewell Symphony
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