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Well, I enjoyed the writing very much - very finely crafted for the age the novel is set. The historical fiction was brutal and at times I didn't want to press on further. The gay love story is understated and drawn in outline really, but it works for the kind of novel this is.
At one point towards the end, one character wonders "Am I American?", which prompted me to think about the book as a kind of exploration in the making of America, seen through the various characters - how the landscape shapes character, and how interactions with First Nations unfold on, what we now know, is a miserable and desiccated understanding. There's a bit to unpack in the novel.
Enjoyable.

An interesting introduction to gay relationships in POW camps, although this one was NOT between prisoners, but between a prisoner and a guard. It serves as a useful thought-piece about how gay men fared in POW camps during the War - the circumspect nature of any relationships, and the constant threat of being denounced.

Unfortunately the author chose the classic ending for the romance - the lovers fearful of their feelings, deny them and chose to spend the forty or so years post-war apart - writing pained letters to each other - so the actual relationship (which could have happened) is denied - the gay men will never be in a relationship ending. Sigh. I thought we had moved past this, even in 1997, when the book was published.

This is a great read - first half deals with all the ways gay men 'sabotage' themselves, the last half deals with methods for recovery.

Short stories ranging a variety of places, and times, with underlying Jewish identities and themes. Good read.

Brilliantly researched novel about a gay clergyman travelling to Aotearoa NZ, and his time there, and subsequent return to NZ. Drawing on sources in NZ and Sydney, Anamarie crafts a very time specific place of action. Recommended