I had never heard of the sub-genre “Vintage Gay Pulp Fiction” until looking for books by Ed Wood, Jr. A quick eBay search revealed amusing and potentially offensive titles such as Senator Swish and Villa of Queens. Then I noticed DESIRE IN THE SHADOWS and was immediately intrigued by the lurid soap opera title and how the cover showed two men standing together, yet apart. However, the three-digit price had an opposite effect. I mean, I wanted to read it, but not that much! Thankfully, I found a copy on Amazon for around $8.
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| I’ve found out you can’t tell a queer by his looks. |
DESIRE IN THE SHADOWS is about Carl, a young man living in a small Texas town in the 1960’s. Carl didn’t realize he was gay until, while hitchhiking, he was raped by a truck driver and, um, enjoyed it. Yeah, nothing problematic there. Anyhoo, after this life-altering experience, Carl had one foot out of the closet, at least on weekends when he ventured to a nearby big city.
One Sunday at Mabel’s, a woman who flaunted the laws prohibiting Holy Day alcohol and homosexuality by holding tea dances in her home, Carl met Charles, aka Chuck. It was lust at first sight, which is interesting since the two men resembled each other. Is Carl his own type? Anyhoo, lust turned to love and things were going well until Chuck visited Carl’s small hometown. The family priest saw the two men making out in a car and told not only Carl’s parents, but the town gossip, as well. This vicious old busybody, who would give Ms. Floridia Minch of Sturgeons a run for her money, spread the scandalous news around town and even tried to get Carl fired from his supermarket job.
Chuck decided to leave Carl and go away, even though he claimed it wasn’t because of all the drama. Carl doesn’t handle this split very well at all, heading to Mabel’s for a blackout bender. The next morning becomes as life-altering as hitchhiking when Carl wakes up in a strange bed and soon meets its female owner. Janis had found Carl drunk out of his mind at Mabel’s and brought him home. This awkward introduction turns to friendship and eventually marriage. Yes, marriage and things seem to be going well. Carl is sexually satisfying Janis, while eventually satisfying himself with a door-to-door insurance salesman, but then Carl learns Chuck has returned.
What’s a hetero-married homosexual to do? Carl could stay with Janis, run off with Chuck or start his life anew alone. Well…(SPOILER ALERT)…Carl has the decision made for him when he walks in on Chuck and Janis chatting while doing the mattress mambo. It seems Janis had been looking for Chuck at Mabel’s when she found Carl and initially thought he was Chuck in the dim light. Meanwhile, Chuck had took off after the small town drama to decide if he should go all the way gay to be with Carl or straighten himself out to be with Janis. Apparently being bisexual wasn’t an option in 1960’s Texas.
I experienced three things when I closed DESIRE IN THE SHADOWS. First, my heart broke for Carl. He deserved better. Second, I realized this must be one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read. It was dramatic, funny and absolutely crazy. Third, I felt high, like I was walking in a dream. Even with the folds of time between us, I stumbled across this book published in 1966 and pulled it into 2022. DESIRE IN THE SHADOWS seemed so perfectly suited for my taste that I once again imagined a freak like me stumbling across a copy of DARK EXCURSIONS in the distant future, falling in love with my emotionally damaged characters and feeling as though they discovered a secret treasure they want to share with anyone who will listen. Hey, it could happen, obviously!
Despite its sometimes trashy pulp fiction vibe, DESIRE IN THE SHADOWS (originally published in 1965 as “The Gay Flesh”) is a piece of literary queer history. Author Joe Leon Houston swings open the closet door to reveal what life might have been like for some in the LGBTQ+ community before Stonewall. The “shadows” in the title seems to be an accurate description of that time and a reminder of how we can’t allow others to force us back into the silent darkness.
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| The time flew and we drank in the lust of our sex. |
In conclusion,
Maybe it’s the subject matter or the soap opera twists. Perhaps it’s the characters or how I share the same initials with the author. Whatever the reason, I feel a strong connection with this book. In other words, DESIRE IN THE SHADOWS isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely for me. I’m just sad it appears this is Joe Leon Houston’s only book, but at least there’s more Vintage Gay Pulp Fiction to discover. Oh please, you know if I ever find a reasonably priced copy, I’m so gonna read SENATOR SWISH! 😉
Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words…and have a Happy New Year!
Freak Out,
JLH
P.S. Click the pic ⤵️ in case you don’t know how this half-blind freakboy can read a physical book…
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A massive thanks to those of you in the world who took a chance on this indie author, blogger or something in 2022…or any year, for that matter.
Extra thanks to those who dared to go haunting in Sturgeons with me. It really is my best piece of fiction, so far, but 2023 is right around the corner. 🤓
