Two Boys Kissing

“You can’t know what it is like for us now—you will always be one step behind. Be thankful for that. You can’t know what it was like for us then—you will always be one step ahead. Be thankful for that, too. Trust us: There is a nearly perfect balance between the past and the future. As we become the distant past, you become a future few of us would have imagined.”

The novel’s opening lines establish the historical context and perspective: the gay men of the past are in awe of the gay youth of today. This passage also establishes the essential narrative tone: hope. The thesis is one of progress.

“If you are a teenager now, it is unlikely that you knew us well. We are your shadow uncles, your angel godfathers, your mother’s or your grandmother’s best friend from college, the author of the book you found in the gay section of the library. We are characters in a Tony Kushner play, or names on a quilt that rarely gets taken out anymore. We are the ghosts of the remaining older generation. You know some of our songs.”

The departed gay men of the past watch over the characters and narrate their stories, much like the chorus in a Greek tragedy. This quote refers to the missing older generation of gay men, lost largely to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Tony Kushner, himself a gay playwright, wrote the iconic play Angels in America, which tells the story of gay men living and dying during the AIDS crisis. 

“Freedom isn’t just about voting and marrying and kissing on the street, although all of these things are important. Freedom is also about what you will allow yourself to do.”

Tariq goes dancing and expresses himself freely on the dancefloor. The chorus express joy at seeing his freedom, a moment of catharsis for Tariq, who is taking back his freedom after being attacked for being himself in public. The novel suggests that a queer identity is not only defined in relation to suffering, but in relation to joy of expression.