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A review by aaronj21
Disorderly Men by Edward Cahill
5.0
Disorderly Men (first off, what a title! evocative, ironic, and fitting since in the 60’s gay bars were euphemistically called “disorderly establishments” and gay men were routinely arrested for just about anything, under the nebulous charge of ‘gross indecency’ or ‘disorderly behavior’) was a delight to read and easily one of my favorite books of 2023.
The book has a deceptively simple style, following the lives of three gay men in various stages of the closet during and after the police raid a gay bar. Each chapter is told from one of their perspectives as they meet briefly on the night of the raid and then try to weather the fallout after. This format would be very easy to do poorly, but Cahill pulls it off nicely with each perspective feeling very distinct and offering something new to the narrative. These men have some important similarities but they’re also very different, with their respective lives seeming utterly alien to one another. The closeted Roger Morehouse, with his staid respectability, wife, and kids, could not seem more different from the young, free spirited Danny. Both offer insights into what being gay in a homophobic society does to someone but their experiences aren’t interchangeable.
The narrative itself is another strong suit, I found myself burning through this just to find out what happened to each of our three protagonists. Will Roger’s wife find out? Will Julian find out what happened to Gus? Will Danny lose the close ties he has to his Irish Catholic family? The author was able to achieve this by crafting his characters, and these three in particular, quite well, making them really seem like flesh and blood people, with all their flaws and baggage and relatability.
This book, for me, was technically perfect, I don’t think it could be improved by adding a single line or by excising one. This read as a thoughtful, layered portrayal of gay life as it was in the years before Stonewall. The victories, such as they are, are believable and in keeping with the historical period which only serves to make the book better. I can’t stand historical fiction that glosses over the rough patches in the history their claiming to present.
Overall this was a very clever, very moving book and I’m immensely grateful I happened to pick it up.
The book has a deceptively simple style, following the lives of three gay men in various stages of the closet during and after the police raid a gay bar. Each chapter is told from one of their perspectives as they meet briefly on the night of the raid and then try to weather the fallout after. This format would be very easy to do poorly, but Cahill pulls it off nicely with each perspective feeling very distinct and offering something new to the narrative. These men have some important similarities but they’re also very different, with their respective lives seeming utterly alien to one another. The closeted Roger Morehouse, with his staid respectability, wife, and kids, could not seem more different from the young, free spirited Danny. Both offer insights into what being gay in a homophobic society does to someone but their experiences aren’t interchangeable.
The narrative itself is another strong suit, I found myself burning through this just to find out what happened to each of our three protagonists. Will Roger’s wife find out? Will Julian find out what happened to Gus? Will Danny lose the close ties he has to his Irish Catholic family? The author was able to achieve this by crafting his characters, and these three in particular, quite well, making them really seem like flesh and blood people, with all their flaws and baggage and relatability.
This book, for me, was technically perfect, I don’t think it could be improved by adding a single line or by excising one. This read as a thoughtful, layered portrayal of gay life as it was in the years before Stonewall. The victories, such as they are, are believable and in keeping with the historical period which only serves to make the book better. I can’t stand historical fiction that glosses over the rough patches in the history their claiming to present.
Overall this was a very clever, very moving book and I’m immensely grateful I happened to pick it up.