War Against the Animals is a novel nearly anyone in the gay community would read with much interest, a lot of empathy and great pleasure. The story is at once the stuff of a made-for-TV movie and the stuff of a truly remarkable novel. The plot is certainly movie-like.
A gay couple moves to a poor upstate New York town to get away from the “City” and its stresses. They split, leaving the protagonist, Cameron Barnes, with a house, a certain financial stability, moderately advanced AIDS, and a kind of directionless malaise.
Halfheartedly, Barnes decides to pull his life together. He decides to “get his house in order,” both literally and figuratively, so he hires two young local men, Kyle and Jesse Vanderhof, to help with some general labor and construction. The interaction between the two brothers and Cameron form a riveting plot both intricate and clear…which is the basis for the title.
On the surface the “war” is between old families long settled, rural, insular and poor… and the new arrivals in town, sophisticated, affluent, liberal, and gay. The conflict of old and new, of poor and rich, of conservative and liberal, of straight and gay…these form the underlying environment for the story of the Vanderhof brothers and their relationship with retired landscape architect Cameron Barnes.
That relationship is the basis of a fascinating story of manipulation (only revealed at mid-story), of mistrust, of misunderstanding, and finally, of betrayal.
But the story is many-layered. The protagonist, after giving up on life, begins to find a reason to live. Jesse, the younger brother, finds his sexual identity (although it is unclear what he will ultimately do with it). Kyle, the older brother, discovers that his controlling behavior toward his younger brother and his cruel and aggressive behavior toward the world at large, fail to get him what he wants, and, we are led to believe, will destroy him in the end.
There is enough in this story to satisfy every reader. For the young the plot is interesting, even compelling. But there is more here for the older, more life-experienced. For those of us who are HIV+ there is compassion as we watch Cameron find his will to live. For those of us who’ve been in love we watch Cameron remember what wonderful experiences he’s had and what depth of feeling he can still experience. For those dealing with sexual identity issues Jesse is the embodiment of internal struggle.
The most powerful element I found was the working out of the intergenerational relationship between Cameron and Jesse. It is not just Jesse who’s struggling with his feelings! If anything, Jesse knows what he’s trying to work out. Cameron doesn’t. The greater struggle is within Cameron, a struggle to work out very complex and ambivalent emotions.
The story after such a well developed beginning and middle was, I was sure, bound to have a weak or at least contrived ending. Not so! It concludes with just the right tone of closure, self-realization and angst. No loose ends here.
War Against the Animals is a memorable foray into gay literature. It is, without a doubt, included in my top ten favorites. Worth reading? Absolutely!