Harold's End

by J.T. LeRoy

Harold's end is a street hustler power ballad from San Francisco novelist JT Leroy. A young boy finds solace in a gift from an older, seemingly compassionate man. As with other Leroy stories, it goes from dark to incomprehensibly black. Internationally renowned Australiam artist Cherry Hood has created eight unique watercolour paintings based on the character descriptions in the story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867196149
• ISBN13: 9780867196146
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: Last Gasp
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

People have no imaginations

Oh no! JT Leroy doesnt exist! then the books must be terrible after all!!!! Nope. I dont care who JT Leroy is. I found the whole persona a little interesting, but also tiring after a while. Taken on their own without any of the B.S. that the author used to stir up interest in these biooks, they still stand up. It is a complete nonsense to say that the world of publishing is great, and good books get published all the time, and Laura whatever her name is didn't need to do this. American publishing is in a dire position. Good books usually have to go to Europe first to find a home. A good book coming out on a decent sized publishing house and getting any kind of exposure here in the US is about as rare as us electing an honest president. The books are good. Harold's End is a novella, but the usual leroy themes are present... It is certainly not a 1 star book, It IS slight, but that is because it clocks in at under 100 pages. I'd certainly rather read and enjoy this novella that druge through John Updikes latest borefest.

Wow! This is a beautiful book!

The first thing that struk me about Harold's End was the physical beauty of the book itself. The cloth binding, with the watercolor of the protagonist is breathtaking. Even the ribbon bookmark is lovely. The illustrations are stunning! The short story itself, while ending on a somewhat hopeful note, just plain broke my heart. I so desprately wanted this little boy to have someone he could really trust and count on. And Harold.... I spent every page, terrified for that endearing little snail. The writing was, as always with J.T. LeRoy, top notch. Every character and situation felt as real as real can be. And the characters were some of the most awkward and sympathetic on paper. This IS a short story, so please don't buy this lovely work of art expecting a fully developed novel, with backstory and all that. Expect a brief and touching snapshot out of the life of a damaged, wonderful street kid.

A Story from the Streets

Just plain beautiful. JT Leroy has created a fairy tale out of a hustler story in HAROLD'S END. Originally published in McSweeney's, HAROLD'S END is a short-short novella, set in a neighborhood of lost children who hustle for drug money and are distinguished by their elaborate pets. Oliver, the narrator, seems to be the most disturbed of the lot, rebellious and angry, even towards his fellow hustlers. He is eventually picked up by an odd customer, with a very disgusting fetish, who seems most attracted to the rebellious nature of young adults. In return, Oliver is not only paid in money, but is also given a exotic pet of his own, a snail named Harold. The story, in its own, is quite exotic and lives only in the minute. Though I could see this becoming a full length novel, we aren't given much background and only get a slide-show of the other characters. Pretty much, you're getting a simple character portrait, rather than the wide landscape of Leroy's previous works. This would certainly explain some of the criticisms coming from the other reviewers, who were perhaps expecting this to be a more well-rounded and detailed story. But I think the true beauty of HAROLD'S END, is that in all its simplicity, you have a basic morality tale in which a character comes from nothing, is given something to take care, fails miserably and suffers the consequences. Leroy's delicate and infactuating prose compeletly supports the fairy tale aspect to his bleak landscape. The book is also gorgeously illustrated with character portraits of the various hustlers and their animals. It is visually aestetic as it is well-written and engrossing. This is concrete proof that independent presses put out materials that rival if not surpass the literature of many mainstream publishers. I am so happy I bought this.

An Accomplished Marriage of Text and Visuals

JT LeRoy is not an unknown entity; his SARAH and THE HEART IS DECEIIFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS have garnered not only international recognition but also a following not unlike the HARRY POTTER clan. He writes about street life in an intelligent, engaging way, joining the pantheon of writers who are able to bring to light the seamy side of life and in doing so engage our empathy if not our sympathy. HAROLD'S END is a brief story about a group of kids addicted to heroin and the streets, each of whom has a pet (dog, snake, rat) over which they may shower the love and attention missing in their own lives. All except Oliver, who not only has no pet, he has little direction beyond the next fix. Enter Larry, a dweeby older guy who befriends the street kids and finds an attraction to Oliver in particular. Offering him food and shelter, Larry soon gives Oliver a special gift - a snail in mesclun lettuce that Oliver names Harold. In the continuum of heroin daze and the relative comfort of Larry's home in the Castro, Oliver passes his days until Larry's particular sexual proclivities change the situation. Oliver goes along with Larry's bizarre requests only to find that Larry, once satisfied, has little use for Oliver. Back on the streets Oliver's primary drive is to protect Harold and to that end Oliver's obsession with his pet results in his undoing. Artist Cherry Hood has created exquisitely beautiful watercolor renderings of each of the main characters and their pets and in the design of the book, these full page watercolors are placed in such a way that they not only enhance the beauty of the book, they also bring LeRoy's lost children to life. This is a very fine little art book as well as another good yarn from the pen of JT LeRoy. Grady Harp, January 2005

Did we read the same book?

I emphatically do not agree with Krush's review. JT LeRoy's beauty lies in taking scenes and situations to which many may not relate and describing them so one sees redemption and hope above all. All of this with language so devastatingly beautiful and analogies so spot on that I had to put the book down several times so as to absorb, then savor it. Illustrations by Cherry Hood are as arresting as the prose. Both combined create a world that is hard to shake after the covers have been closed. This writer has a singular voice and I encourage anyone who values an artist that paints with words to treat his or herself to this book. You won't be sorry.