And I realized that such childishness was fantastic at my age and the happiness out of which it sprang yet more so; for that moment I really loved Giovanni, who had never seemed more beautiful than he was that afternoon. And, watching his face, I realized that it meant much to me that I could make his face so bright. I saw that I might be willing to give a great deal not to lose that power. And I felt myself flow toward him, as a river rushes when the ice breaks up.
― James Baldwin, Giovanni’s RoomHe was waiting, I think, for me to cross that space and take him in my arms again—waiting, as one waits at a deathbed for the miracle one dare not disbelieve, which will not happen.
― James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room
David, an American, is adrift in 1950s Paris. His fiancée, Hella, is touring Spain while David remains behind. He loves Hella because she is lovely and because she loves him back. It is easy to love her as they both want the same things; to marry and have a family. Until then, David wanders around Paris meeting friends and acquaintances for drinks and dinner without having any real goals or purpose.
He has very little cash and relies on his father to wire him money from the US. Desperate, David borrows some money from his friend Jacques. While he doesn’t especially like Jacques, David follows him to a bar owned by Guillaume. Guillaume is old, rich, lecherous, and likes beautiful young things, including his new bartender, Giovanni. David admires Giovanni but he dares not admit that the young man is as fascinating to him as Giovanni is to Guillaume and the other bar patrons. After a long night of drinking, and flirting, Giovanni invites David to see his room and rest before David must return to his hotel and pay his overdue bill. Alone at last, Giovanni and David give in to their attraction and begin an affair.
David moves in with Giovanni and the two men spend the long summer days together. Giovanni despises Guillaume, but he must work for him as he has no working visa. David feels trapped as he cannot leave Giovanni but he knows that what they have cannot last. He loves Giovanni but he also hates him as he is the reason David finally reckoned with his own sexuality.
This book starts off slowly, but the more I read the more I came to love it. David is an unlikable protagonist. He is killing time in Paris, avoiding his life back in the US and the finality of his pending marriage to Hella, when he begins his affair with Giovanni. While David doesn’t necessarily want an affair, he is so ambivalent about his fiancée that it is unsurprising that he allows himself to be swept up in Giovanni’s life. He is slippery, never making any sort of commitment. When a fork in the road presents itself, David turns around and finds a bar, skillfully avoiding responsibility at every opportunity. When his fiancée finally returns to Paris, David’s fantasy world cracks apart. At this point, the book kicks into overdrive, finishing with a remorseful but unharmed David while Hella and Giovanni suffer the consequences of David’s apathy.
