Brokeback Mountain by Annie ProulxMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Probably the best short story I've ever read. Not one word out of place, not one misstep. The dialogue is spectacular.
"That summer," said Ennis. "When we split up after we got paid out I had gut cramps so bad I pulled over and tried to puke, thought I ate somethin bad at that place in Dubois. Took me about a year to figure out it was that I shouldn't a let you out a my sights. Too late then by a long, long while." (27)
"Come on, Ennis, you just shot my airplane out a the sky -- give me somethin a go on. This ain't no little thing that's happenin here." (31)
The love is outstripped only by the pain.
This story resists the simple 'gay cowboys' label frequently slapped on the movie. These boys are in love, yes, but they are also confused, angry and violently fearful. The tire-iron is an ever-present threat hanging over their fleeting embraces. A father's hatred and a wife's disgust only add to their self-loathing.
Proulx's writing is stunningly beautiful.
Clearly I need to read the rest of the stories that this one was originally published with. The edition I borrowed from the library was a slim, single-story version.
I read this for the GLBT reading challenge.
Oh I remember weeping most of the way through this one... (the timing of my reading it was, em, relevant.
ReplyDeleteThe bit where he describes walking away from his lover as feeling as if his entrails were being dragged out with every step had me howling even louder.