Able Was I (The Elba Trilogy)

“…you have written a lyrical, almost poetic novel…It reminds me of Zora Neale Hurston in a lot of ways in Their Eyes Were Watching God.” — Frank Stasio, NPR affiliate: WUNC, “The State of Things" “Banks’ eye for detail is keen ..., nicely capturing the essences of various Manhattan neighborhoods, the pastoral beauty of Elba and the enchanting aspects of Rome. At times, these places fairly leap off the page into the reader’s imagination.” — J.S. Hall, DallasVoice “Banks … eschews the droll humor that has become de rigeur in so many gay novels, and writes with a refreshing seriousness of purpose and eye for detail.” — Christopher Cappiello, IN Los Angeles “[Banks] takes apart the physical and emotional aspect of a scene to give the reader a collage of images and words that seem to be reflected in splinters of a shattered mirror.” — Rebecca James, LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth “Is Able Was I a gay novel?” I’m not sure. I will say the book has resonated with male and female readers alike. Women readers are particularly drawn to the emotional depth of the book. Gay male readers are drawn to among other things, pages 40-43. — Jenny Stewart, PlanetOut In the summer of 1985, on a post-collegiate adventure to Europe, Grey Tigrett’s meticulously planned trip is derailed by an argument with an uninvited guest who threatens to ruin the trip. On the subsequent ferry ride to an unplanned destination, he waxes poetically in his journal to calm himself down. "Before I saw Elba, there was nothing but sea and sky. Then it appeared, small on the horizon, an insignificant fleck just below the vanishing point. On the water, perspectives are not forged from hard angles. No perfect square is centered upon the edge of the sea. The imminence is the same, yet the path, variable. Nascent and amorphous, the island bobs up, down, right and left as the boat stays its course." Fourteen years later, Grey Tigrett is still adrift. To escape the emotional impotency of both his past and present, he has again retreated to the exile of his dreamy, analytic mind. On the eve of the new millennium, three pivotal events shatter Grey's asylum and lead him to discover whether his life-altering experiences on Elba were his downfall or will be what finally sets him free. Able Was I is not a typical LGBTQ+ coming-of-age novel, rather it explores the lifelong yearning to relive the intensity of one’s coming of age and recapture the possibility lost in the years since. __ Drew Banks’s Elba Trilogy—Able Was I, Ere I Saw Elba, and I Before E—is a multigenerational literary fiction series set between New York, Paris, and across Italy, and exploring themes of identity, exile, and chosen family. While these novels can be read independently, there are several characters and situations threaded through the trilogy that add nuance and texture to each story, especially given these characters and situations are conveyed through the lens of the novels' different protagonists. This genre-blending trilogy will captivate readers who enjoy LGBTQ+ literature, coming-of-age journeys, historical fiction, family drama, romance, mysteries, European settings, and evocative “armchair travel” storytelling.
ASIN: B0DH4ZMZBD
VSKU: BVV.B0DH4ZMZBD.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Banks, Drew
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.