Blurb
THE
DUPLEX is a thrilling tale, set in 1950s L.A., of four gay friends
who hatch a daring scheme to live life on their own terms, during a
time of systemic governmental persecution.
Los
Angeles, 1956. Shangri-La. Palm trees, swimming pools, movie stars.
And if you’re gay—persecution. In a society that demands
conformity and lockstep conventionality, gay people find out quickly
and the hard way, how difficult, dangerous and downright terrifying
it is to be different.
So,
when the constant fear of arrests, evictions, job loss and ridicule
become too much, four gay friends and lovers pull together to hatch
an ingenious scheme designed to allow them to live freely, without
harassment.
But
their secret plan is not without its flaws. Internal struggles and
personality conflicts conspire to make their situation harder and
more life-altering than any of them could have predicted, leading to
valuable and universal lessons about the high cost of blending in—or
not.
Excerpt
I
had just entered Eddie’s. I had been there many times before and
everything seemed normal. I was there to meet my girlfriend, Dot. I
like Eddie’s neighborhood feel. It kind of reminds me of back home,
Brooklyn. It is a nice place since both men and women go there,
giving you a little more protection, like if there seems to be a
raid about to happen, they will belt out The Star-Spangled Banner
over the hi-fi. When this happens, that is the signal for the men to
partner up with the girls and visa-versa. Play a little Tarzan and
Jane. Two times it has happened since I started going to Eddie’s
and it honestly scared the hell out of me. I mean you feel like a
little kid about to get a beating from your father.
Anyways,
that is how come when I saw this character moving quickly toward me
from the men’s room at Eddie’s that night, I did not pause
but just grabbed his arm and let him lead me out. I knew this fella
must be in trouble. Oh, I’ve been around, and I know about all the
entrapments that go on with the boys. So anyways, this fella,
nice-looking, takes my arm and I grab back right away while he tells
me he needs my help. So he spins me on my heels and out the door we
go, fast, but not too fast. I sneak one last look over my shoulder
before we exit—nothing.
Once
we are outside, we keep up the pace and he immediately takes off his
jacket, bundles it up, and holds it to his gut with one arm. He
takes his other arm and puts it around my waist and pulls me close.
“Say,
you’re chilled to the bone. Like a big shrimp cocktail,” he says.
“Shrimp
cocktails do not have bones.”
He
smirked. “Yes, and you’re not in a fancy glass soaked in cocktail
sauce, either. It’s what we society characters call a metaphor.”
As
we walk, I look up at him since even with my heels he is still much
taller than I am. He had a nice face. Then I do that thing I always
do when I am around a man like him. I always wonder—I guess I
can not help it—could I be with a fella like him if things were
different?
“Thanks
for helping me out,” he says, still looking straight ahead.
“S’okay,
I know how it is. My name is Barbara.”
He
looked at me for the first time and I could tell he was loosening up
quickly; something I found appealing, I remember. “Beautiful name,
Barbara. That’s my father’s name.”
That
took me off guard and I snorted out a laugh. He smiled and told
me his name was Cliff.
We
should probably get off the streets I told him. “I live right
around the corner.” He nodded and we disappeared off of Fountain, a
right turn on Mansfield, a few apartments down and we were home.
When
we entered, he scanned the room like he was looking for something. He
noticed the phone and stepped toward it. “Do you mind?” he
gestured.
I
shook my head, no. He picked up the phone and dialed it as he looked
at the back of a matchbook. “Hey, if you haven’t already started
playing The National Anthem, queue it up, Sam. There’s a vice squad
goon taking a nap on your men’s room floor. Poor guy must have
slipped on a bar of soap or something.” Then he hung up.
Review
by Lisabet Sarai
Cliff
Lonigan is a fast-talking, good-looking, Devil-may-care guy who’s
perfectly suited to his career in advertising. Jerry Ripley, a young
lawyer just arrived from Kansas, is dazzled by the cosmopolitan
variety of Los Angeles. An LA native, twenty three year old Dot
Johnson teaches high school and lives with her mom. Barbara
Penczecho, who hails from Brooklyn, has the distinction of being the
only female lawyer in her firm. She’s tough as nails,
detail-oriented, the sort of person who never runs away from a fight
even if she senses she’s going to lose.
Fate
throws these four together and they quickly develop strong bonds of
friendship and more. Despite the difference in their personalities,
they share a secret that could wreck their lives: all four are
homosexual. In 1954, a man indulging in sexual activity with another
male, of even the mildest sort, can easily end up in jail – or in
the hospital after taking a beating from the cops. Lesbians have
things a bit easier, but are still harassed and ostracized. It’s
perfectly legal, and common, for employers to fire workers whom they
suspect are not heterosexual. Women are even arrested for wearing
men’s clothing - “masquerading” as the opposite sex.
Barbara
and Dot are already a couple, hiding their relationship from their
family and associates. Jerry finds himself falling for Cliff, despite
their initial non-committal connection via anonymous sex in the back
of a movie theater. Cliff doesn’t talk much about his feelings, but
he’s pleased enough to have handsome, intelligent Jerry doting on
him. The foursome goes out on “lavender dates”, pretending to be
two heterosexual couples, but the fear of being unmasked makes this
stressful and unsatisfying. Then Jerry has a brainstorm. He proposes
that they rent a duplex – two houses that share a wall – and
create a passage between the units. To the world, they’ll be two
newlywed couples. Once safe inside their duplex, though, they can
re-sort themselves to be with their true lovers.
The
Duplex is a fantastic book that realistically captures the pain
and difficulties of being gay in the fifties. The dialogue and
descriptions are stellar. All four characters come alive on the page.
The reader can’t help loving them – even ne’re- do-well Cliff,
who turns out to be something of a cad.
At
first, the clever ruse of the duplex succeeds brilliantly. The two
couples have the freedom to live together and be themselves,
something almost impossible to achieve in that period. Still, they
can’t allow themselves to let down their guard. The neighbors are
always watching. The four need to stay alert and keep their stories
straight. Indeed, I felt the constant tension as the book unfolded,
the fear that one of them would make a mistake and bring their
home-sweet-home down around their ears like a house of cards.
In
fact, it’s the psychic conflicts inherent in being queer in a
mostly straight society that ultimately undermine the utopia of the
duplex. The four are torn apart by the centrifugal forces of their
own emotions. Still, their time together, the rare opportunity they
have to experience a life they’ve chosen rather than one imposed by
society, changes them all.
Looking
back at that time, I can appreciate how far Western society has come.
You can live openly with your same-sex partner, adopt children, in
some places marry. Discrimination based on sexual orientation is
prohibited, at least on paper. A larger fraction of the population
has become comfortable with the notion that some people have
unconventional attractions. It’s even trendy, in some places, to be
gay.
There
are still more than a few countries, though, where you can be
imprisoned, even executed, for homosexual behavior. And in so-called
enlightened countries, queer men and women are still being reviled,
physically assaulted and murdered because of they’re perceived as
different, sinful, “other”.
The
Duplex makes this threat feel very real. Barbara, Dot, Jerry and
Cliff are just trying to live their lives, to find sexual
satisfaction, companionship and love. Everyone wants those things. In
this novel, even when the foursome is flying high and savoring their
freedom, you’re always aware of the lurking danger. They are
breaking the rules; at any time, someone could discover this and make
them pay the price.
This
awareness helps makes The Duplex a dramatic and moving read. I
recommend it highly.
About
the Author
Lucky
Stevens lives, works and plays in exotic North America. He has
written three novels. He was also a finalist in a nationwide
screenplay writing contest. He was inspired to write The Duplex
because he wanted to tackle a subject that grappled with universal
themes in a creative and exciting way.
He
can be contacted in the following ways:
luckystevenswriter at gmail dot com
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