Psychological Archives - Matt gets LIT-erary

Hawk Mountain

Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib
Published by Random House on July 21, 2022
Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, Gay, Psychological, Thrillers, Horror
Pages: 320

I am kicking off spooky book season with a review of the fantastic Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib. This was one of my favorite reads this year. Habib’s debut novel is an emotional and tense queer horror novel with an excellent plot twist and gruesome body horror.

Todd, a single parent, is at the beach with his son Anthony when he runs into a childhood classmate. Jack relentlessly bullied Todd in school, but now he is thrilled to reconnect with Todd. Todd is thrown off because they have not seen each other since they were at odds in their teens. Jack ends up sleeping on Todd’s couch and spending the night. Anthony and Jack quickly hit it off, and Jack continues to sleep over. Todd begins to question Jack’s motives and whether running into each other at the beach was a coincidence. I will share nothing more to avoid spoiling this twisty story.

I loved how dark and tense this story was. The twist about a third of the way into the book made me audibly gasp. This is not the book to de-stress; I was at the edge of my seat. Habib delivers the body horror. There is one horrifically explosive scene that I will never forget. This is a character driven story; you really get into the psyche of Todd. Flashback chapters from Todd and Jack’s childhood are interspersed in the first part of the novel. There are also some sections told from Anthony’s point of view. I was impressed at Habib’s ability to write in a child’s voice. Anthony’s sections are written in a childlike stream of consciousness. The novel concludes with a powerful, emotional ending. This is the first time a horror book brought tears to my eyes.

If you are looking for gay horror novels to read this fall you can’t go wrong with Hawk Mountain. Below are my thoughts on the gay themes in the book. Feel free to stop here to avoid some light spoilers.

Warning Light Spoilers:

Hawk Mountain focuses on toxic masculinity and the internal unrest of closeted gay men. The violence in this book is caused by society’s failure to accept gay men. For me, this book is about how being so deep in the closet can make one project and externalize their self-hatred onto others, with disastrous and extreme consequences. Reading this book, I was heartbroken for closeted people who are unable to openly be themselves, especially queer people from my parent’s generation who grew up in a time when coming out can be met with such oppression.

The Hour I First Believed

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
Published by Harper Collins on March 6, 2009
Genres: Fiction, Literary, Psychological, Historical
Pages: 832

Wally Lamb has mastered writing addictive trauma porn. The Hour I First Believed includes the Columbine shooting, alcoholism, infidelity, Hurricane Katrina, homeless children, child prostitution, unexpected deaths, prescription drug addiction, injustices in women’s prisons and family secrets. I don’t find the characters likeable, but they feel immensely human. And the numerous Connecticut references (so many UConn basketball shoutouts) are great! Wally Lamb’s third novel doesn’t live up to the perfection of She’s Come Undone or I Know This Much is True, but it is still an engrossing and worthwhile read. Fun story: in 2011 I served Wally Lamb wine at a community art event in Willimantic, CT.

The Hour I First Believed is a sprawling novel, so it is challenging to write a brief synopsis. The protagonist is Caelum Quirk, an English teacher now in his third marriage. Him and his wife, Maureen, have reconciled after infidelity separated them for a few years. They move from Connecticut to Colorado where they both work at Columbine High School. Caelum returns to Connecticut after his Aunt Lolly dies. While he is away, Maureen survives the horrific Columbine school shooting. After the tragedy Caelum tries to help Maureen recover from the traumatic event. Caelum and Maureen also have a close relationship with Velvet, a troubled student who also survived the shooting. Caelum and Maureen move into Aunt Lolly’s house in Connecticut to have a fresh start after the shooting. While going through his aunt’s belongings Caelum uncovers generations of family stories and secrets. This being a Wally Lamb book Caelum and Maureen continue to face tragedy after tragedy.

Wally Lamb does ample research for his novels. It’s rare to see a piece of fiction with such a long list of citations. I also appreciate how Lamb includes a list of charities at the end of his book. These charities focus on social issues that are featured in The Hour I First Believed. I think the research and list of charities shows Lamb’s respect and compassion for the sensitive topics his book covers. I appreciate the way Lamb ends his trauma filled books on a hopeful note. This sends the message that humans can overcome unimaginable trauma. In contrast the questionably exploitative Hanya Yanagihara leaves her queer characters broken with no hope of recovery (A Little Life is a trash book, maybe one day I’ll get around to writing a rant). Lastly, Wally Lamb’s books are so addicting, I can’t put them down!

The Hour I First Believed would be an even better book with some more editing. Lamb tries to tie together too many story threads. I think he overreaches a bit. I think Lamb was trying to weave a tapestry of trauma that spanned from past to present. Some editing down would have resulted in a tighter story with stronger, more distinct themes. Specifically, I think the excerpts of letters and the thesis involving Caelum’s ancestors. Those long sections were jarring and interrupted the present-day story without feeling relevant.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
on October 13, 1993
Genres: Classics, Fiction, Psychological, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 176

I was on the hunt for a classic horror novel to add to my 2021 spooky reading lineup. I couldn’t think of a better choice than Oscar Wilde’s homoerotic “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. Oscar Wilde is a historical figure of interest for me. He was bold enough to live openly as a gay man in the 19^th century, resulting in imprisonment. After references to Dorian Gray in contemporary media, such as Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I wanted to read the original work. I knew the general premise of the novel, a young attractive man never ages, while a supernatural painting of him does. I was not expecting the story to become a critique on the purpose of art.

When the story begins, readers are introduced to Dorian Gray, a young attractive man, and two older gentlemen Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton. Basil and Lord Henry are obsessed with Dorian because of his youth and beauty. Dorian is the muse for Basil’s paintings and is the subject of his best work. Upon seeing Basil’s painting of him Dorian becomes aware that he will one day age and lose his beauty. He makes a fateful wish, saying “If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!” (Wilde 19). This ends up being the classic scenario of be careful what you wish for. Dorian never ages, but the painting, which he hides away from others does. Under Lord Henry’s influence Dorian becomes obsessed with living a beautiful, happy life at any cost. With each immoral act he commits the portrait of Dorian grows hideous, while real Dorian remains unchanged.

A Picture of Dorian Gray is very gay (ha! A rhyme). Basil and Lord Henry’s competition for the attention of the young, attractive Dorian feels way more than friendship. Dorian originally wrote a more homoerotic version of the story that was “toned” down before publication. I’d love to read the bits deemed too gay that had to be deleted. Wilde makes his support for the movement of aestheticism clear in the preface. He believes art should have no morals. Art is meant to stand alone as an aesthetically pleasing work. This contrasts the Victorian style where stories were crafted to teach readers moral lessons (Charles Dickens was an example of this). I think both philosophies place too many limitations on what art is. However, I believe this novel ironically contradicts Wilde’s aesthetic philosophy because the story ends with a moral message. Dorian’s pursuit of an aesthetic life corrupts him and lead to tragedy at the novel’s conclusion. Wilde fails to write this story without including a moral.

A Picture of Dorian Gray was a challenging book to read. The language from Wilde’s time is difficult to understand, resulting in a slower reading pace. Also, there were sections in the book that referenced many people and events that were not familiar to me. Chapter XI is an entire section made up of these references. The chapter reads as a long list of aesthetic objects Dorian acquires to surround himself with beautiful things. Reading this chapter was a struggle for me and I found myself skimming most of it.

I am impressed with The Picture of Dorian Gray. I enjoyed reading a novel from the 19^th century with so many gay references. While the language was challenging to read the experience made it well worth the effort. Wilde’s philosophy of aestheticism was interesting and led me to reflect on my own artistic philosophy. I recommend picking up Dorian Gray for a short, spooky read. And don’t feel guilty skimming through the sluggish parts!

I wanted to end with a fascinating quote from Oscar Wilde that I am still processing. “Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry what the world thinks of me; Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”