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"When A Single Man was originally published, it shocked many by its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in midlife. George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner, determined to persist in the routines of his daily life. An Englishman and a professor living in suburban Southern California, he is an outsider in every way, and his internal reflections and interactions with others reveal a man who loves being alive despite everyday injustices and loneliness. Wry, suddenly manic, constantly funny, surprisingly sad, this novel catches the true textures of life itself."--BOOK JACKET.
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This reads very much like a treatise on loss. At the core, it is a loss of identity, that Isherwood underscores as we follow George in a day in his life. Every activity – be it getting dressed, going to the supermarket, or teaching his class – is entangled with Jim in some way. Isherwood's prose is, sans doubt, the highlight of the work; it is dense but deeply rewarding to read. It manages to be haunting, melancholic, comical, and impersonal yet undeniably intimate.
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