Yes, it’s been a while since I posted anything here, but trust me – I’ve picked the perfect way to break my book review fast, with not just one but two books! The Charioteer by Mary Renault and We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. And let me apologize ahead of time: I don’t think I have the ability to be as articulate as I’d like about either of these books, because they are both SO SO SO GOOD.
Basically, this is me with both books:
The Charioteer by Mary Renault was first published in 1953 in London, then in 1959 in the US. Books about queer people in that era always ended with one of the lovers dead, insane, magically heterosexual, or all of the above, but not this one. This book is remarkable for being one of the first published where there is a relatively happy ending (see also The Price of Salt which was later republished as Carol, written by Patricia Highsmith).
I have to admit I’d never heard of this book before, though I had heard of Renault. Cat Sebastian brought it to the attention of her fans as she worked on We Could Be So Good, and I couldn’t be more grateful. The title comes from Plato’s Phaedrus, specifically this passage: “First the charioteer of the human soul drives a pair, and secondly one of the horses is noble and of noble breed, but the other quite the opposite in breed and character. Therefore in our case the driving is necessarily difficult and troublesome.” The two horses are personified in her book by two men beloved of the protagonist, Laurie. Renault’s book shows how he is pulled between a sweet and beautiful young man Laurie meets while in a hospital after being injured at Dunkirk and another man, a little older than Laurie, who Laurie knew when he was younger and at school. The rhythms of Renault’s writing take some getting used to if you’re more accustomed to contemporary writers, but it was worth it to be immersed in her imagination. The ending of this book isn’t a true happily ever after like we get in romance novels now, but it is hopeful and beautiful. It might be my favorite part of the book.
Onto the second book. I should tell you, I’ve never met a Cat Sebastian book that I didn’t absolutely adore. We Could Be So Good was no different. However, there’s something about her newest book that stands apart from her previous works. The story itself, of a newspaper reporter (Nick) falling in love with the son (Andy) of the owner of the paper where he works, is sweet and gentle. I love that the angst comes more from outside of the relationship than from within. But there’s something deeper at play here. It’s like We Could Be So Good is also a roadmap for how to live your life despite all the real nightmares around you.
Yes, this book is written about the late 50s in New York City, but so much of how Nick decides to live the life he wants could apply to right now, to living during a pandemic. At one point, during a nuclear war preparedness drill, Nick interviews some of the protestors. One of them, a young mother, talks about how there is no real preparing for a nuclear attack and how, even if the attack were real, she’d want to go to a pond with her kids and feed some ducks. She’d want to enjoy her last moments. That thought sticks with Nick and he thinks, “What he can do is – God, he keeps thinking of that woman. He can feed the goddamn ducks and he can kiss his boyfriend. He can believe that the future they have is worth more than his fear, and he can do what it takes to make that future as safe and happy as possible.”
I read that paragraph at least five times before moving on. I’ve read it at least five more times since finishing the book. Feed the ducks. Love the people in your life. Be careful, but still live. And this is why I love Cat Sebastian. She doesn’t just give her readers beautifully written and satisfying love stories. She also gives us ways to find hope. Cannot recommend We Could Be So Good highly enough.
P. S. No, I didn’t need to have read The Charioteer to understand the role that book plays in Sebastian’s book, but it did give me a little extra insight into the characters.