The Immoralist (Dover Thrift Editions)

Good book, but the spine says "The Immoarlist" - lol.

not bad kiinda lame

To comment on a few things not mentioned in other reviews--Gide developed a love of nature very young, and his eye for the subtle--light, air--is wonderful. Most see this as a book set in North Africa, but note the descriptions of the Alps--one can almost hear the cold, crisp air. Although his relationship with Marceline takes a back seat to his own inner voyage, I found his struggle to love her, while at the same time being pulled in an entirely different direction, compelling. His urge to continue traveling at the end, knowing deep within himself that it will kill her; knowing but not knowing how ill she was throughout, was frightening. How different a work from explicit, modern novels that hit one over the head like a ton of bricks!

Gide's story is about a married man whose passions for younger men and for an unencumbered life eclipse his duty to his wife who is dying of tuberculosis. Threaded throughout is an argument against following the pattern set by society (marriage, children) and finding one's own path in life. Gide's importance in queer literature is evident with this novel, as well as with "The Counterfeiters".