A review by markludmon
The Charioteer by Mary Renault

4.0

A pioneering novel about a young gay man torn between two potential lovers in England during World War Two. Recovering in hospital from a leg injury suffered in Dunkirk, Laurie forms a close bond with Andrew, a religious younger man who works there. But then Ralph, a secret crush from his school days, steps back into his life, offering a more realistic physical alternative to the idealised love with Andrew. Published in 1953 when homosexuality was still illegal, this novel depicts the secretive world of gay men with sharp insight. Renault is a great storyteller although her writing can be a little obscure at times, especially in its highly coded references to gay life and its use of the language of the 1940s and English public schools. Despite its reticence, this is a remarkably frank book for its time.