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From the New York Times bestselling author of Boy Erased, an electrifying, deeply moving novel about the love story between two men in Puritan New England.
Cana, Massachusetts: a utopian vision of 18th-century Puritan New England. To the outside world, Reverend Nathaniel Whitfield and his family stand as godly pillars of their small-town community, drawing Christians from across the New World into their fold. One such Christian, physician Arthur Lyman, discovers in the minister’s words a love so captivating it transcends language.
As the bond between these two men grows more and more passionate, their families must contend with a tangled web of secrets, lies, and judgments which threaten to destroy them in this world and the next. And when the religious ecstasies of the Great Awakening begin to take hold, igniting a new era of zealotry, Nathaniel and Arthur search for a path out of an impossible situation, imagining a future for themselves which has no name. Their wives and children must do the same, looking beyond the known world for a new kind of wilderness, both physical and spiritual.
Set during the turbulent historical upheavals which shaped America’s destiny and following in the tradition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, All the World Beside reveals the very human lives just beneath the surface of dogmatic belief. Bestselling author Garrard Conley has created a page-turning, vividly imagined historical tale that is both a love story and a crucible.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 26, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593829301
- File size: 275549 KB
- Duration: 09:34:03
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 29, 2024
Conley turns from the homophobic Baptist upbringing of his memoir Boy Erased to 1730 Massachusetts for a finely tuned debut novel about a queer love affair between a reverend and a doctor. Rev. Nathaniel Whitfield bonds with his parishioner Arthur Lyman when the latter treats Nathaniel’s frail younger child Ezekiel for an unknown illness. While the forbidden love story of the two men is at the core of the narrative, its scope and depth comes from the empathic and complex treatment of the other family members, including Nathaniel’s daughter, Sarah, who in 1765 receives letters from Ezekiel referencing an estrangement between the siblings that he seeks to heal. Conley’s prose is slightly formal but also direct and rhythmic, as in the opening lines, written from a young Ezekiel’s perspective: “The shore of his mother, her warmth sheltering his infant body from the cold. The shore of his sister, pressing her nose on his.” An author’s note on Conley’s research into 18th-century clandestine gay life offers welcome context to Nathaniel and Arthur’s bewilderment and guilt over their undeniable love. This is a potent chronicle of an underexplored era in queer history. -
Pete Cross performs this debut novel of a star-crossed love affair between minister Nathaniel Whitfield and physician Arthur Lyman in Puritan New England. As his congregation whispers about his relationship with Arthur and their wives begin to suspect what's going on behind closed doors, Nathaniel prays for an "Awakening" but fears his love for Arthur has brought God's disapproval. Pete Cross's narration captures the intense relationship between the two men; he performs their dialogue with deep emotion. As the two men's families begin to suspect their secret, Cross imbues his performance with tension, communicating both families' anxiety and feelings of helplessness. Cross's narration creates a truly heartfelt listening experience of this beautifully devastating novel. K.D.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine -
May 31, 2024
Cana, MA, founded by the pious Reverend Nathaniel Whitfield, has been established as a utopian society that welcomes Christians from all backgrounds with the promise of including them in the fold. It is 1730, the beginning of the religious revival movement known as the Great Awakening. Bostonian doctor Arthur Lyman is attracted to Cana by its promise of love, and he is further drawn in by Nathaniel's eloquence and intoxicating presence. Despite the danger, the two men embark on a secret love affair, struggling to make sense of their overwhelming feelings while also honoring their bonds with their wives and families. Conley's (Boy Erased) novel juxtaposes the characters' world-shattering revelations against the claustrophobic social and religious culture of the time. Pete Cross's skillful narration captures the complexity of both main characters, communicating their zealotry as well as the tenderness that blooms between them. VERDICT A lyrically written work of queer historical fiction, piercingly describing a time when forging one's own path was difficult or even deadly. Recommended for those who enjoyed Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart or The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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