Narrow Rooms (Valancourt 20th Century Classics)

by James Purdy

Book Overview

Released from a prison sentence for manslaughter, Sidney De Lakes returns home to West Virginia, where, in order to exorcise the memory of the lover he killed, he must keep his appointment with destiny in the shape of the man known as "the Renderer". In this story of the powerful, violent passions of four young men in the remote Appalachians, James Purdy has crafted one of his most haunting and memorable works.

Long neglected, James Purdy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1948405253
• ISBN13: 9781948405256
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Valancourt Books
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Strange, wonderful, and erotic

This is my favorite Purdy book. It is one of the most original novels ever written - straightforward, brilliant, and weirdly kinky. I had the pleasure of telling Purdy so in person. He is a charming and kindly old fellow and I think he still lives in Brooklyn.

gay american "wuthering heights"

a beautifully written story of love and hate going to the extremes which resembles "wuthering heights" in more than one respect; semi-articulate passion in a deserted land bordering on madness and advancing slowly into a near intolerable showdown. it's amazing with which composure Purdy manages to tell this pitch black "romantic tale"; never corny, never embarassing, a perfectly clear, simple plot and language. Highly recommended (for everybody by the way, gay or not gay)

wonderfully dark, a brilliant articulation of desire & power

Purdy is poetic in his descriptions of some of our darker places. I've never read anyone write about pain, pleasure, desire, hate with such beaut