I was not sure what to expect with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The introduction in this edition suggests that there is a lot more going on in this book than just the queer love story, and this definitely proved to be the case. The story follows an American boy, Matthew, whose very rich parents are getting divorced. As the book opens he is leaving the US on a ship heading to France, where his mom is sending him to a boarding school. As he matures from the 12yr-old he is on page 1 to a not quite adult 15yr-old, he develops a relationship with a 30-something teacher at his school, and the rest of the book deals with this relationship and Matthew's slowly developing understanding of what being a homosexual man really means in the real world. For me the dominant wrongness in this relationship is very obviously that the boy's lover is a teacher, and that while the boy thinks he is mature enough to have this relationship, the teacher should know better than to develop a sexual relationship with one of his students. So, yes this is queer novel and I can see why it is one that ought to be more widely read, but not just as a coming of age story about a homosexual boy. .

Teenager Matthew Cameron moves to France with his mother while she sorts out her divorce. He immediately has to adapt himself to a new country, a new language and a new boarding school. Fortunately he negotiates all these obstacles with some success, helped along by the relationship he forms with a boy at school, and later, and much more importantly, with one of the masters. When Michel Garnier is employed as a tennis instructor it’s not long before the two are immediately attracted to each other and embark on a passionate affair. It’s a gay coming-of-age story, and one of the first to fully explore the issue. Set in the 1920s, although published in 1951, the book was somewhat of a trailblazer for gay literature, and is most likely autobiographical. It’s not just about homosexuality at that time and place, but also explores family relationships, especially between mother and son, parenting, divorce and its effects on children, class conflict and the clash of cultures. For Matthew it all becomes an often painful journey of self-discovery. I found the book insightful and empathetic, although the character of Matthew seemed occasionally too mature for his years – he’s only 15 when the relationship begins, and yet in many ways he’s the guiding force, in spite of the age difference between himself and Michel. Today we might feel more uncomfortable about this age gap – Michel is in his 30s – but in the context of the book the power seems to lie with Matthew. Until it doesn’t. It’s well-written and well-paced, and not at all sensational. The avoidance of graphic sex was a bonus for this reader. Although set in the 1920s, the issues are still pertinent in today’s society in spite of more liberal attitudes, and I found it a thought-provoking and thoughtful read. Good to see it back in print.

i’m glad earlier queer fiction is getting republished and i’m sure there’ll be plenty of people who will love this, but unfortunately i didn’t mesh with the story too well. the characters were all rather obnoxious and the prose fell a little flat for me most of the time.