One of the great joys of reviewing books is that, from time to time, you find writers you love that you wished you'd discovered much earlier in life. James Baldwin's work found its way onto my radar last year during a celebration of his centenary. Rarely in life do you find writers whose works enthral you. It's rarer still when you find yourself captivated by their words even though their lives and cultural heritage are so different from your own. Yet, Baldwin's debut novel, ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain' was the highlight of my reading list in 2024.
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to review Baldwin's second novel, ‘Giovanni's Room', which is released as part of The Folio Society's Summer 2025 Collection. Their magnificent catalogue brings to life books of every genre, crafting them to a superb standard and usually embellishing the text with artwork. For ‘Giovanni's Room', it's Lela Harris' charcoal illustrations that bring Baldwin's text to life.
The book was first published in 1956, almost seventy years ago. Culturally, that was around the time of James Dean's death and the rise to stardom of Elvis Presley. It's frequently hard to imagine, in its fearless depiction of a gay relationship, that ‘Giovanni's Room' was first conceived so many decades ago. It feels as fresh, tender, brutal and dangerous now as it must have been to the novel's earliest readers, even if it is read in a different light in an era when same-sex relationships are, for some at least, no longer subject to the same intolerable burdens and near-universal disapproval.
‘Giovanni's Room' takes an American, David, away from his home town and places him in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, a district of a city that was then known as a safe haven for artists and Bohemians. There, in a gay bar, he meets the handsome Italian Giovanni. The young man is a bartender, but the job is transactional. He must put up with unwelcome advances by the unpleasant, clammy owner, Guillaume.
Both aliens in a strange land, David and Giovanni are immediately drawn to one another. Together, and especially when they escape to Giovanni's room, they can hold at bay their anxieties and belong to one another. But David's family, from which he is not yet financially independent, has expectations, and his girlfriend Hella is also travelling in Europe. Spain is just a short journey away, and it's only a matter of time before Hella arrives. The walls soon close in, threatening the peace and love that David and Giovanni find together, contained in the two simple words of the book's title.
Baldwin is never a propagandist. He does not use his characters to portray a rosy view of gay culture. Characters such as Guillaume, who uses his power over Giovanni to abuse him, remind the reader of the presence of sharks in what may otherwise be inviting water. That is the flip side to the genuine emotional bond between David and Giovanni.
The characters are complex and fallible too. David in particular is aware of his competing commitments and obligations, and the mutually-exclusive expectations his father, Hella and Giovanni all have of him. So many contradictions cannot be happily reconciled. An internal conflict manifests in David's behaviour, which is either pragmatic or destructive. The short novel is layered throughout with ominous hints. The fear the reader has for the couple's lasting happiness is intertwined with the suspense that is built as the stakes rise. Will David succumb to the temptation to compromise himself in a quest to please others, risking satisfying nobody? Or will he embrace the opportunity for true love that Giovanni offers?
The main strength of the novel, as with Baldwin's debut ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain', is the powerful characterisations and the masterful way in which the author unfolds his story. David, Giovanni and Hella are relatable. Through their character flaws they are believable, and through their interactions they become people the reader cares about. Although she is the only female character in the story of any significance, Hella is written fairly and sensitively, just as the characters of Elizabeth, Deborah and Florence were sensitive and authentic in Baldwin's earlier novel.
In America, Baldwin's reputation has grown since his death in 1987, and he is considered a writer of significance. Outside of his home country, his reputation is bewilderingly less secure. You only have to read a few pages to realise that the author had sublime talent. The prose is literary yet sparkling, and never overly-embellished. It is sensual without ever being lurid. Describing the lovers' first night, David recalls, “I lay down on the bed and pretended to sleep. I thought Giovanni had gone to sleep but, after a long time, he touched me. I thought my heart was going to tear itself out of my body. Then he touched me again and I knew what he meant.”
I have been reluctant to call ‘Giovanni's Room' gay fiction because that suggests the novel holds only niche interest. Its universal themes of belonging, alienation, sexual longing and identity are accessible to any reader. It's nevertheless true that gay readers will be especially attuned to David's battle with himself, and perhaps also the ostracisation the gay characters experience and the challenges that are placed in the way of their relationship. If you've never read Baldwin before, then ‘Giovanni's Room' is a fine place to start. It's a brilliant, thoughtful and at times unsettling read. But it's also deeply human, tender, beautiful and melancholic.
A short, powerful read and a timeless story following memorable characters, ‘Giovanni's Room' is a groundbreaking work that deserves to find new generations of readers. The Folio Society's new edition has five charcoal illustrations, including one double-page depiction of the breakfast table in Giovanni's room, by Lela Harris. The illustrations, apart from the stark one of Hella, tend to hold back, allowing the reader's imagination to fill in the gaps. But the handsome portraits of David and Giovanni on the front and back covers are striking, forever binding the two together with their story in between. ‘Giovanni's Room' is my favourite work of fiction that I've read in 2025, and I have now added the rest of James Baldwin's back catalogue to my reading list! More people should be talking about and reading this extraordinarily gifted writer.
Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: 3rd June 2025 Order ‘Giovanni's Room' from The Folio Society
