In Tongues

“Would there ever be a time where the biggest thing in my life wasn’t difficulty?” wonders the young gay narrator of this impressive sophomore novel from Grattan (The Recent East). Soon after Gordon moves to New York City in summer 2001, his self-pity lifts when he starts working for an older gay couple, art dealers Philip and Nicola, first as their dog walker and then as their personal assistant (“Being needed [was] a drug I couldn’t turn down”). However, Gordon gives in to some reckless impulses—he kisses Nicola, takes clothes from both men without asking, and throws a party in their home while they’re away. He also falls for Pavel, an aloof but charming painter, and grapples with his troubled relationship with his disapproving father, who’s recovering from a heart attack. While Gordon attempts to explain his self-destructive tendencies (“Giving up felt good”) it is with the friendship that develops between Gordon and Philip—first during a trip to Europe, where they watch the 9/11 attack on TV, and later when they briefly live together—that Grattan elicits the most emotion. In the author’s skilled hands, Gordon’s bad judgment and sentimental education make for terrific reading. Agent: Jody Kahn, Brandt & Hochman Literary. (May)