Book 944: The Kingdom of Sand – Andrew Holleran

I wanted to like this book so much like really wanted to, because Holleran is one of those early LGBT authors whose work has stood the test of time for decades. And that’s why I requested a copy from NetGalley.*

What I didn’t expect was how similar to Mrs. Dalloway and A Single Man this would be. I think that bodes well for the longevity of the novel, but unfortunately, for me, it wasn’t the time or place to read it to truly appreciate or enjoy it. While there were some incredibly beautiful passages throughout, I struggled to get into the book and (for the most part) identify with the nameless narrator.

The two biggest problems for me were the incredibly long fifth chapter, “Hurricane Weather”, and the repetitive ramblings of the narrator. I get why the fifth chapter was so long, but why call it hurricane weather when the book is set post-hurricane season and doesn’t have any flashbacks or references to hurricanes. Maybe Holleran was connecting the chaos of aging and losing friends and family and the neighborhood changing around the narrator, but the connection was tenuous at best. As for the ramblings, I 100% get why those are there. If you’ve ever had a conversation with our grandparents or any older person, you know about the circles they talk in and revisiting old stories, but oof it was rough on me. I was convinced I’d read some passages three or four times, but when I went back I’d find similar passages which at least confirmed I wasn’t totally crazy.

The best part of the novel was the narrator’s various discussions of death and moving on, which was ironic as he never moved on from his parents’ deaths and basically lived in a tomb dedicated to them rather than moving forward with the life that he’d put on hold in the mid-1980s. I liked the observational quality of how he talked about the neighbors and how their children handled their aging and ultimate deaths and the way his friends prepared for it as they all aged, or even how his best friend, Earl, did/didn’t prepare for death.

Holleran’s writing of older gay characters was incredibly interesting to read. From how they got off at local video stores and boat docks, to the nameless narrator’s obsession with the store clerk and pharmacist at Walgreens, you got a true feel for the isolation of being an elderly gay man of a different generation that wasn’t interested in apps or, perhaps even a relationship, and lived solely for the anonymous occasional getting off and observational qualities of existing and pining from afar without disrupting the dream/imaginary relationships he cherished.

Recommendation: I think there is a lot of worth in this novel. Holleran is a part of a generation of LGBT authors and survivors that are slowly dying out of old age and by setting his novel firmly within that generation in this period he’s presented a protagonist we don’t see very often in pop culture. He doesn’t edit or cut out aspects that were crucial to gay men in the 70s and 80s and have continued to trail (if lessen) over the decades and he writes frankly about the end of life of parents, friends, and self. As I was reading I was simultaneously frustrated and impressed with the minutia of the book and the grand sweeping observations Holleran made, but ultimately this one wasn’t for me.

*I received a copy of The Kingdom of Sand via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “The first touch of winter in North Florida, especially when the cold front triggers a long day of rain, always makes you feel that life is turning inward, that when you get home, there will be someone there.”

Closing Line: “That’s how you know you’ve been in Florida too long—you no longer go to the beach.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)