The Line of Beauty – Alan Hollinghurst

Description

The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst, winner of the 2004 Booker Prize, is a richly textured and emotionally charged novel set in the summer of 1983. Twenty-year-old Nick Guest moves into the attic room of the Feddens’ opulent Notting Hill home. The Feddens are a prominent, conservative family: Gerald is a Member of Parliament, his wife Rachel is wealthy, and their two children are Toby, whom Nick had once idolized at Oxford, and Catherine, who is critical of her family’s assumptions and ambitions.

As the economic boom of the 1980s unfolds, Nick’s life becomes intertwined with the rising fortunes of the Feddens, while his own pursuit of beauty, love, and identity takes center stage. Nick embarks on two vivid and contrasting love affairs: one with a young black clerk and the other with a Lebanese millionaire. These relationships force Nick to navigate the complicated intersection of personal desires, politics, and class, shedding light on the rewards and dangers of his private pursuit of beauty.

Hollinghurst masterfully blends humour, wit, and sharp social commentary in this emotionally gripping tale. The novel explores themes of identity, sexuality, and class, set against the backdrop of Thatcher-era Britain. As an LGBTQ+ novel, The Line of Beauty presents a compelling exploration of love, desire, and the complexities of relationships, making it a modern classic in British literature.