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Book review: Beatitude, a novel by Larry Closs

Denise Enck

Beatitude 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.

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Denise Enck

Denise is Empty Mirror's founder and editor. She's edited several other literary magazines and small-press publications since the 1990s. When not at Empty Mirror, you can probably find her reading or writing -- or out exploring the back roads and beaches of Washington State.

Author: Denise Enck Tags: Beat Generation, fiction reviews Category: On Literature February 6, 2013

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Established in 2000 and edited by Denise Enck, Empty Mirror is an online literary magazine that publishes new work each Friday.

Each week EM features several poems each by one or two poets; reviews; critical essays; visual art; and personal essays.

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