A Tale of Tenn and Frank
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         The novel is told in alternating chapters from Frank’s point of view in 1953 and from Anja’s perspective in the present. Frank is a richly drawn character who dances and enjoys life. He is also well aware that many people see him as just a pretty face leeching off a famous writer. To anyone who questions what he does for a living, he cleverly responds: “I sleep with Mr. Williams.”

         His relationship with Tenn is complex, as Frank tries to help him overcome the “blue devils,” periods of self-doubt and fear. When things are good between them, their love is “the song of the nightingales.” When they argue, it is harsh words, thrown vases, and extended time apart. Frank frequently reflects on romantic relationships between men, the conflict between building a life together and wanting to spend time apart, the cruel words casually tossed off without thinking, the cruising for other partners together.

         Anja is another well-drawn figure, an incredibly talented movie actress who never gave it much thought because it came so easy to her. She is tired of what she calls “television questions” about her career and famous friends, but she opens up to her young friend and his boyfriend, even having them read from Tenn’s final play. It forces her to deal with her guilt over not visiting Frank during his illness and her anger at Tenn for how he depicted Frank in his memoir. Having held onto the play for so long, what she finally does with it is a touching tribute to her friendships.

         The novel is filled with celebrity appearances from the worlds of film and literature, such as director Luchino Visconti and his then assistant Franco Zeffirelli working on the film Senso, for which Tenn was writing sections of the script along with writer Paul Bowles. Indeed the book opens at a party thrown by Truman Capote in Portofino, Italy, and an excerpt from one of his letters describing “simply extraordinary people in Portofino” serves as both epigram and inspiration for two characters.

         One of the most interesting celebrity appearances is that of John Horne Burns, author of The Gallery, and his Italian lover Sandro. Jack, as Burns is known, comes across very much as his biographers have described him: gruff, angry at the world, and drinking heavily. His partner Sandro is Jack’s caretaker, patient, kind, and loving. Surprisingly, the two couples start spending time together, Sandro quickly bonding with Frank, eager for him and Tenn to boost Jack’s spirits after his publisher has rejected his latest novel. Frank, always generous with help, gets sucked into Jack’s self-destructive behavior and Sandro’s inability to stop it, and he is there for one of the saddest parts of the novel. Jack and Sandro’s relationship make for a fascinating comparison with Frank and Tenn.