Another Country transports the reader to the New York of the
1950's. A city ahead of its time, struggling to close the gap between the
outdated morality and racism of the first half of the century, and the imagined
utopia of today. Set amidst daunting skyscrapers and harsh city streets, the
book brings the city to life, and makes it a character as dangerous as anyone
who may prowl the dark city streets at night. Each of the other characters must
deal with the psychological effects of the city in their own way; some will
make an uneasy peace with New York City and others will be crushed under the
weight of its looming towers.
For the struggling writers and artists in
the book, the city is their muse. A microcosm of cultures, representing a brave
new world of change and revolution. These souls live in a self-imposed world of
struggle and anonymity. Each day that passes brings them one step closer to the
life they believe they want, and one step farther from the people they believe
themselves to be. They find themselves trapped between a desire for success and
the realization that success may come at the price of their values, and perhaps
even their souls. They search their lives for every problem and every sorrow
the world has to offer. The city bustles around them. People come in and out of
their lives, but no person can take the place of New York itself. The city
cannot survive without its people, nor the people without their city.
For those characters that have come to New
York to escape the quiet pleasant world in which they grew up, the city is a
rebellion. The sirens’ call of the unknown draws them to the dangers and
challenges of a world they've never experienced. Their struggle is interior.
Not forced to live in the abject poverty of many of their fellow inhabitants,
they are free to imagine themselves as accepting and open minded. They view the
streets from a distance, and falsely believe they understand the suffering of
those who cringe under the city's harsh lights. They attempt to convince
themselves they are struggling, searching, and trying to achieve success. In
truth, their searching is half-hearted; the success they long for is the very
thing that will turn them against themselves and each other. The city has called
to them as a place of sacrifice; demanding their blood and their tears. When
they have no more to offer, the city will turn them out, and their rebellion
will be over.
For a beleaguered few, the city lures them
into an oasis of acceptance. In a world not yet ready to accept those who are
gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual, New York opens its concrete arms and welcomes them
in. The city is no kinder to them than to its other victims. The introspective
aura, and streets filled with the walking dead, soon overpowers them. They are
given the freedom to express their sexual identity, but in return they must
give the city their souls. Relationships become complicated, confused, and
painful. Many search for love, only to find the search endless, and the cost of
searching very steep. Those who find love, balance it carefully on a precipice
as steep and dangerous as the ledges of the spiraling skyscrapers. They feel
trapped in a city as cold and unfeeling as the river that flows beneath its
bridges. They have no choice but to remain there, refugees from a world of
intolerance.
For those who struggle against poverty and
racism, the city is a harsh task master. It's cracked and dirty streets hold
little compassion or promise. Each generation of New York's poor struggles
through life, just as the generations before. They find their hopes crushed,
and their dreams shattered. The cold streets and impersonal structures hold no
solace for them. They sell their bodies, and their souls, with little hope of
redemption or absolution. Forced to survive on their wits and courage, they do
what it takes to put food on their tables. Their fellow inhabitants may try to
befriend them, and may even venture to love them, but the city knows their
history. It is carved into the stone of each building in Harlem, never to be
forgotten. The city holds few surprises for them. Its cavernous streets are a
dark and dangerous jungle, where they can trust no one, and no one can trust
them. New York is the only home they have ever known; a city that is both their
guardian, and their captor.
No comments:
Post a Comment