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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Giovanni's execution is the novel's frame; some violence in the final sections
Language
Some
Adult language; period restraint
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit gay sexual content; the relationship between David and Giovanni is explicit and central
Substance Use
Barely any
Some drinking in the Paris bar setting
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The psychological horror of David's denial and its lethal consequences for Giovanni; the self-destruction of choosing convention over truth; devastating throughout
What this book is about
David, an American in Paris, is engaged to a woman named Hella who is traveling in Spain. While she's away, he falls in love with Giovanni, an Italian barman. When Hella returns, David chooses to marry her rather than acknowledge what he is—a choice that sets Giovanni on a path toward death. Baldwin's 1956 novel, written in French-tinged English of crystalline precision, is a devastating examination of self-deception and the cost of refusing one's own nature. One of the essential American novels of sexuality and denial.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Explicit gay sexual content
A man's denial causes another's execution
Extreme psychological intensity and devastation
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