David Leavitt's extraordinary first novel, now reissued in paperback, is a seminal work about family, sexual identity, home, and loss.
Set in the 1980s against the backdrop of a swiftly gentrifying Manhattan, The Lost Language of Cranes tells the story of twenty-five-year-old Philip, who realizes he must come out to his parents after falling in love for the first time with a man. Philip's parents are facing their own crisis: pressure from developers and the loss of their longtime home. But the real threat to this family is Philip's father's own struggle with his latent homosexuality, realized only in his Sunday afternoon visits to gay porn theaters. Philip's admission to his parents and his father's hidden life provoke changes that forever alter the landscape of their worlds.
From Library Journal
This first novel by the author of Family Dancing, a well-received collection of short stories ( LJ 8/84), reflects both the author's youth and his promise. The story focuses on Philip Benjamin, a 25-year-old New Yorker, somewhat naive but definitely gay, who is involved in his first "serious" romance. This situation is complicated by the struggle of Philip's father to deal more openly with his own longstanding, but thus far closeted, homosexual inclinations. With Philip's coming out, father is thrown into even greater turmoil, mother begins to realize the complete truth, and all are forced to reexamine the ties that bind them. Leavitt again proves adept at looking into the complexities of familial relationships and generational differences. At times the work seems self-indulgent and just a bit trite but is nonetheless recommended. David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A tour de force.a multilayered work of sensibility." (New York Times )
"Fascinating.lingers in the mind...Mr. Leavitt''s sense of pacing, his graceful sentences and his storytelling ability dovetail nicely." (Philip Lopate New York Times Book Review )
"A brilliant, wise first novel.the delight of the book is Leavitt''s style.it flashes with pathos, anger, and camp wit; it rises to a subtle urban lyricism." (Vogue )
"An amazingly perceptive novel." (San Francisco Chronicle )
"It places him firmly among the best young authors of his generation.Leavitt catches beautifully the terror and passion of new love." (Dorothy Allison Village Voice )