Book review: Beatitude, a novel by Larry Closs

Beatitude by Larry Closs / Rebel Satori Press / 2011 / 978-1608640294 / 272 pages

Empty Mirror received a copy of Beatitude from the author, with no obligation.

Larry Closs’ debut novel focuses on Harry Charity, who is gay, and his relationship with straight poet & Marine Jay Bishop. The Beat Generation fills the pages: there’s the pair’s shared affinity for the Beat Generation writers, the books, bookshops, the jazz, the New York setting, and even an encounter with Allen Ginsberg.

Closs’s knowledge of and love for the Beats and New York shines through; the atmosphere alone is enough for a Beat aficionado to appreciate this book.

But it’s the personal struggles that Charity experiences which are at the heart of Beatitude and which give it its poignancy. It’s about unrequited love, relationships, and how we go about finding satisfaction and direction in life. Those are abstract concepts, but Closs’ writing and engaging characters bring them to life in ways which will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

Beatitude is available at Amazon and other bookstores.