Thursday, January 15, 1998
‘Plays Well With Others’ lacking in passion, originality
BOOK: Gurganus’ brave take on AIDS epidemic pales to Titanic
tragedy
By Kristi Nakamura
Daily Bruin Contributor
While Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio resurrect the legendary
Titanic on the big screen and the casts of "Rent" lament the plight
of young artists attempting to survive in New York City, author
Allen Gurganus uses the notorious shipwreck as a metaphor for the
AIDS crisis in his own tragedy, "Plays Well With Others."
The bright, red cover with the smiling cartoon boy, familiar
from the Japanese "Milky" candy packages, and the seemingly
cheerful title "Plays Well With Others" provides a stark contrast
to the novel’s gloomy world of unfulfillment, disappointment and
ravaging illness.
Set in 1980, Gurganus offers a glimpse of the New York art
scene, narrated by Hartley Mims Jr., a somewhat naive Southernerwho
has come to New York to be free to write and explore his homosexual
feelings in ways he is unable to do in his small hometown.
Although mostly a likable character, Mims is often predictable
and pathetic in his unwavering worship of artist friends. It is
hard to empathize with Mims, even though he is the main character,
because there is a distinct unbelievability to him that is
difficult to attribute to any one thing, except perhaps his
idolatrous devotion. Given the drive and motivation that
characterize him, such passivity when it comes to standing up to
his well-intentioned – but often insensitive – friends seems
unnatural.
To round out the stereotypical artist cast of "Plays Well With
Others," Gurganus adds Robert Christian Gustafson, the
promiscuously bisexual "Prettiest Boy In New York Of His Decade,"
and Angie Alabama Byrnes, the failed Savannah
debutante-turned-feisty, boyish painter.
These three main characters surround themselves with others just
like them: attractive, talented and always hungry, not just for
food, but for fame and sex. Their exploits and drive toward
recognition make up more than half of the book.
Gurganus sets the reader up with ample background information
and time to grow to love the characters before the dying begins.
However, the action fails to arrive quickly enough. By the time
AIDS has struck this small community of artists, reader interest
has already begun to wane. One can only take so many descriptions
of parties, sexual exploits and coffee shop gatherings before
wanting to move on to other things.
With the AIDS epidemic looming over the heads of the characters
from the beginning, it is clear that the idealized "good boy" Mims
is doomed to be the caretaker and only survivor at the end of the
decade.
Even though Mims sets up Robert’s death as the heartbreaker in
the story, giving the reader Robert’s dying days in the prologue,
the real tearjerker is Angie’s death. Subtle and understated, but
laden with earlier memories, Angie’s death comes just when the
reader hopes that maybe she will survive also.
Robert’s fascination with the Titanic is a creatively memorable
metaphor, especially given the timely release of the movie
blockbuster. In retrospect of the AIDS and Titanic disasters, the
sheer immensity of both tragedies overshadow the individual lives
lost.
The addition of the appendix, including a piece written by Mims,
leaves it open to speculation on how much of the story actually is
derived from Gurganus’ real-life experiences. It seems possible
Mims is actually an exaggeratedly innocent and angelic
Gurganus.
"Plays Well With Others" purports to be many things: a fairy
tale, a literary symphony, a fresh delivery of the same story that
has become among the latest fashionable causes.
Lacking the whimsical charm and easy-to-follow flow of a fairy
tale, realism seeps in, but not enough to make the reader truly
believe the story is anything more than a fabrication drawn from
real events. While the story is entertaining, it does not offer
escapism or happy endings as a fairy tale does.
In trying to create a literary symphony, Gurganus comes closer
to achieving his goal. Divided into three movements – "Before,"
"After," and "After After" – the novel seems to progress in waves.
If patient enough to read through to the end, it is a sentimental
finale, reminding the reader of the beginning and the middle, and
how sadly everything has changed.
The momentum of youth that pervades the "Before" section fades
into exhaustion and loss of hope in "After" and "After After,"
leaving the reader with the sense that Mims has become old and
tired over the course of the novel.
As far as creating a fresh retelling of the starving,
adventuresome, AIDS-afflicted artists’ story, Gurganus was beaten
to the punch by others (like "Rent" creator Jonathan Larson) with a
more focused goal. At times, "Plays Well With Others" comes off as
a copycatted version of Larson’s theatrical endeavor, presented
without as much polish or passion.
In taking on such a hefty task, Gurganus only half succeeds.
"Plays Well With Others" is an interesting story with many critical
things to say about our time and society. Unfortunately, it is not
a new story or even an old story with a new twist. The issues are
not even easily accessible, but left to the reader patient enough
to sift through a cumbersome 337 pages.
Knopf Publishing
"Plays Well With Others"