Equal Affections (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: David Leavitt
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: Family or family life, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Music or musicians, 1980’s, Cancer, Lesbianism or lesbians, Adultery, Death or dying, Lawyers, Polio
- Locales: California, New Jersey
Equal Affections chronicles the history of the Cooper family: Nat and Louise, their children, Danny and April, and Danny's lover, Walter. Although the plot sounds melodramatic—Louise is fighting a twenty-year battle with cancer, Nat is having an affair with an old family friend, and both Danny and April are gay—Leavitt handles his characters and situations with such restraint and understatement that the novel never deteriorates into soap opera. Rather, it presents a subtle study of family dynamics.
The family's history unfolds through a series of flashbacks, arriving...
[The entire page is 624 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
