The Fall of Valor (1946)

First published in 1946, this is a very brave and insightful novel. A long neglected classic, deservingly republished by Valancourt Books. I found the exploration of the prevailing attitudes of the characters, both male and female, very interesting. Naivety, generalizations of normal behaviour and rigid societal conventions reigned supreme. John’s continual doubts about the normalcy of his feelings and the legitimacy his marriage was particularly insightful.

As was probably quite common at the time, men who experienced same-sex attraction, agonizingly convinced themselves that it was a moral weakness and a wicked temptation that must be overcome. This could simply be achieved with the love of a good woman. The heteronormative path the only way forward, leading to socially acceptable lives of loveless marriages, shame and desperation.

Modern readers may find the novel frustrating and overly melodramatic, but it’s an incredibly telling piece of social history. ( )

While not as nuanced as 'The Lost Weekend', 'The Fall of Valor' gets points for directness and for giving equal time to Ethel Grandin. Ethel is the wife of the man who falls in love with another man during the vacation that was supposed to revive their marriage.

Published in 1946, the novel is set a few years earlier with the war still in full swing. John Grandin is a literature professor who has become more devoted to his book, due to be published in the fall, than to his wife of ten years. It's clear that more than work has distracted him, though, when he reads the latest coolly matter-of-fact letter from his wife.

Alternating between Ethel and John's perspectives, their relationship is dissected by each as they hope to be reunited after a long separation for this special vacation. On the train and boat over they meet two couples: the middle-aged Bill and Sadie Howard, and the honeymooning marine captain Cliff and his wife Billie Hauman. The affectionate and stable Howards and the awkward playfulness of the Haumans highlight the chill between the Grandins. Ethel wants to confront her husband on his lack of attention to her, in the bedroom and out, while John begins to swoon for the marine.

At times the book borders on melodrama, and the bald, if sympathetic, analysis of Ethel and John's situation smacks of pop psychology, but Jackson keeps the inner struggles of both husband and wife at center stage which is refreshing after reading so many one-sided stories where the partner in a marriage functions only as an obstacle or, as is often the case in gay writing, a sham for the benefit of appearances. Tangled and sad it may be, but Ethel and John have a real relationship.

This book may not be one for the ages, but so very few of them are. My edition billed this as the first significant American work to address homosexuality, which I can't quite believe is true, but I'll just have to read more to find out.

Because I can't help myself and since I'm reading Michael Bronski's 'Pulp Friction', here are two pulp covers for 'The Fall of Valor':

[The classic lighting of the older gentleman's cigarette]

[Always check nearby shrubbery before necking in the waves]

Ethel's fears are clearly groundless. ( )

In LT hebben sommigen dit boek als trefwoord 'pulp' gegeven, maar dat is m.i. ten onrechte. Hoewel ik begrijp dat de vreselijk foute kaft doet vermoeden dat het hier een pulpboek betreft, stijgt dit boek daar zowel qua stijl, als qua psychologische karaktertekening ver bovenuit.
Het boek gaat over een universitair docent met huwelijksproblemen. Tijdens een vakantie in Florida met zijn vrouw ontmoet hij een studente van hem met haar vriend. De hoofdpersoon raakt gefascineerd door deze jongeman, maar of zijn kijk op de situatie wel helemaal realistisch is, is maar zeer de vraag. Zowel de huwelijkscrisis, als de identiteitscrisis van de man nemen steeds ernstigere vormen aan. Het einde is tamelijk dramatisch en wellicht wat 'over the top'.
Het boek zal misschien niet zo'n ruim publiek aanspreken als 'The Lost Weekend', maar het verdient zeker een herwaardering (en heruitgave met andere omslag). ( )