Giovanni’s Room - [short] Book Review
Baldwin tells the tale of a doomed romance between not two men, but two lovers in his novel Giovanni’s Room. The protagonist, David’s first encounter with the charming and attractive Giovanni is at the bar, where the latter works at. And from here springs their love affair until David’s girlfriend’s return back to Paris, back to him. While David goes back to his old life, Giovanni’s life spirals into misery and utter misfortune.
Never have I held such strong sentiments towards a book so much. Baldwin had me captivated with his poetic composition on the first page. His writing seizes you to take a moment and sigh in admiration for not just his prose but the way he fragments his story and helps us pick them bit by bit as we march forth to read another chapter. He does this effectively many times with the knowledge of Giovanni’s execution and the dreadful yet relieving arrival of Hella, David’s girlfriend.
David is a well-written complex character, who is “ashamed” of his feelings, of his sexuality. He would not bring it to admit to himself because in the eyes of the society he would rather be viewed as a heterosexual man, who marries a woman, beats his woman and make babies with her, just for the sake of being seen as a “man”. But on another hand, if he did decide to stay behind with Giovanni in that small room of his that David soon finds suffocating, it would be the world outside that would weigh on his chest like a tyrant, making it difficult for him to live. Herein lies the sad truth: David in that moment thought not of Giovanni at all because he is an American that is one day in Paris and the next could be on the other side of the planet.
He is a confused individual who is still figuring out his sexuality. He is stuck between two spaces, Giovanni’s room and the world outside. If he stays in Giovanni’s room, he is confronted with his reflection, to accept the truth, to accept himself and his love for Giovanni, all of which frightens him. In the world outside waits for him Hella, the girl who he could be seen with, could imagine a future with and could “proud[ly]” tell his father about.
David’s father has asked him to come home multiple times in his letters. As I was reading the book, I came to realize that David’s aunt was right in the beginning. David turned out exactly like his father: not just someone who came home drunk, but someone who runs away from his responsibilities. David evades from the many responsibilities he has as a lover with Giovanni, as a friend with Joey, and as son with his father. He has kept all of them waiting because of his uncertainty, his fear and his disgust. He turned exactly what his father didn’t want him to turn as: “a Sunday school teacher” who worries about his morality and his purity. Despite looking at his reflection in the end, David is yet to discover himself.
I enjoyed reading this book so much that I wish to experience it all over again. I would highly recommend you read this book for the same experience. Love is not “dirty”, nor should it be seen as “sinful”. Love is coming home to find that someone has been waiting for you and has been looking forward to your arrival. Giovanni’s small room contained an abundance of warmth and love, which will forever be David’s misfortune as he steps into the world of “men”.
