In this
issue, Tony Heyes reviews It Takes Two
by Elliot Mackle
Alyson Books 2003
ISBN 1-55583-754-9
Tony Heyes (contact) lives in Greater Manchester, England, with his partner of 31 years.
The book’s chief protagonist is Dan Ewing, an ex-naval lieutenant who lost his sailor lover in the sinking of USS Indianapolis. Ewing is now working as the manager of an hotel called the Caloosa which he is trying to transform into an haven of tolerance and sophistication. Unfortunately most of his staff and customers come into one sort or other category of deviant and he is facing an uphill struggle. The KKK has strong connections with the local sheriff and the area’s biggest landowner. The local newspaper is in their pockets so is neither liberal nor campaigning. To complicate matters further, Ewing has begun a sexual relationship with the local policeman, an ex-marine sergeant called Bud Wright who also has a girlfriend and sets great store by appearances. He is "mixing it" with Dan only because he reminds him of his old school coach and is terrified of being discovered, or even thought of, as a "freak". (I don’t know the exact function of coaches in the US educational system but they seem to have etched themselves deeply into the collective gay psyche, judging by the books I read.)
The story opens with a murder involving inter-racial sexual jealousy that the Establishment covers up. Dan almost gets shot as the investigation open and his life is saved by Bud. The rest of the story consists of the unraveling of the murder mystery and the resolving of Dan and Bud’s relationship.
Mackle opens the book in a laconically Chandleresque style appropriate to as tale of mystery. Although neither of the chief characters is a private eye, the mood of the book is reminiscent of that genre. The sex scenes are handled with finesse, being raunchy without being unduly crude, and the claustrophobic paranoia of the period is skillfully conveyed. To be free at that time it really was necessary to be brave and many of the least likely characters in the book display a measure of courage far in excess of what those given to stereotyping them could imagine. It Takes Two is an enjoyable and cheering read and Mr. Mackle displays, with scarcely a false note, a deft touch in delineating his characters. Highly recommended.
P3