Mr. Acton reviewed Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran
Wiser people than me have described it better
4 stars
Written in a time before HIV smashed the gay world, Dancer from the Dance reflects on the freedom, community, narcissism, and dangers of the NYC nightlife as people try to find love and themselves. Is it a conveyer belt that spits people out as husks of themselves? Is it worse than a life of a closeted man trapped in someone else’s American dream? This book doesn’t give an answer, but it also doesn’t flinch from the grittiness of giving yourself to dance, sex, and drugs.
The book is a challenging read as the unnamed narrator(s?) gossips about Malone and Sutherland in luxurious detail. Like spilling the tea with friends, details return and get slightly twisted. Pedestals are built, smashed, and then the pieces are put on display as talismans of those who once stood on them.
I enjoyed it, both as a snapshot of a moment in time as well …
Written in a time before HIV smashed the gay world, Dancer from the Dance reflects on the freedom, community, narcissism, and dangers of the NYC nightlife as people try to find love and themselves. Is it a conveyer belt that spits people out as husks of themselves? Is it worse than a life of a closeted man trapped in someone else’s American dream? This book doesn’t give an answer, but it also doesn’t flinch from the grittiness of giving yourself to dance, sex, and drugs.
The book is a challenging read as the unnamed narrator(s?) gossips about Malone and Sutherland in luxurious detail. Like spilling the tea with friends, details return and get slightly twisted. Pedestals are built, smashed, and then the pieces are put on display as talismans of those who once stood on them.
I enjoyed it, both as a snapshot of a moment in time as well as the parallels of post-PReP and then. I look forward to reading more of Andrew Holleran’s work, especially as it interacts with the times he lives through.