Call number
FIC MAL
Collection
Genres
Publication
Pantheon (2007), 368 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. LGBTQIA+ (Fiction.) HTML:NOW A SHOWTIME LIMITED SERIES STARRING MATT BOMER, JONATHAN BAILEY, AND ALLISON WILLIAMS � A searing historical novel set in 1950s Washington, D.C.�a world of dominated by personalities like Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and Joe McCarthy�and infused with political drama, unexpected humor, and heartbreak. � From the acclaimed author of Watergate and Up With the Sun "Crisp, buoyant prose." �The New York Times Book Review In a world of bare-knuckled ideology and secret dossiers, Timothy Laughlin, a recent college graduate and devout Catholic, is eager to join the crusade against Communism. An encounter with a handsome State Department official, Hawkins Fuller, leads to Tim's first job and, after Fuller's advances, his first love affair. As McCarthy mounts a desperate bid for power and internal investigations focus on �sexual subversives� in the government, Tim and Fuller find it ever more dangerous to navigate their double lives while moving between the diplomatic world of Foggy Bottom and NATO's front line in Europe.… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member dbartlett
Mallon's novel, set against the backdrop of 1950s Washington during the height of the McCarthy hearings, details the star-crossed love affair of Timothy Laughlin, a young Congressional aide, and Hawkins Fuller, a mid-level State Department official. While the main thrust of McCarthy's hearings was
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to root out Communists in government, gay men were also considered security risks and were therefore at risk of losing their jobs if found out. Tim is hopelessly in love, while Fuller uses Tim at his own convenience. Tim finally joins the Army in order to distance himself from Fuller, while Fuller eventually marries and has a child. While the relationship between the two men is the central part of the story, there is lots of information about the political climate of the time, with McCarthy himself one of the characters involved. Another character, Mary Johnson, another State Department employee, also has a lesser role in the storyline as she deals with her own romantic issues and tries to be a friend to Tim. Enjoyable and well written. Show Less
LibraryThing member CasualFriday
Thomas Mallon writes historical fiction with an emphasis on American political history. His latest is set in Washington during the McCarthy era, and concerns the relationship between Hawkins Fuller, a waspy State Department official and Timothy Laughlin, a conservative, devoutly Catholic aide to a
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Republican senator. Homosexuality being considered as much a "security risk" as communism, both men were of course closeted, but Washington was a town of open secrets and politics was a game of "who has what on whom." The political intrigue is absorbing, but the real story is about love, the inability to love, and how the closet distorts lives in the name of family values. Show Less
LibraryThing member HarvReviewer
In his latest book, prominent historical novelist Thomas Mallon turns his attention to Washington, DC in the time of Joseph McCarthy. While that era is best known for McCarthy’s witch hunt against alleged Communists in the State Department and Army, Mallon’s novel focuses on the quieter
Tim Laughlin, a recent Fordham University graduate, devout Catholic and fervent anti-Communist, arrives in Washington in 1953, at the height of McCarthy’s power. He spends the summer as an intern at the Washington Star, where a chance meeting with Hawkins Fuller, an official in the State Department’s Congressional Relations Office, changes his life forever. Only seven years older than Laughlin, Fuller exudes a sexual energy that immediately attracts the younger man to him. Fuller helps secure Laughlin a job in the office of Senator Charles Potter, of Michigan, where Laughlin quickly finds himself embroiled in the political intrigue swirling around McCarthy and his ongoing investigations. The two soon are enmeshed in an intense relationship.
Fuller slips in and out of casual gay affairs, even while marrying and fathering a child. Through it all, his relationship with Laughlin waxes and wanes, though it’s clear Laughlin’s passion for him is never requited. Laughlin enlists in the Army in 1955 in a vain attempt to overcome his attraction, and when he’s discharged back to Washington he looks to rekindle their bond, seeking Fuller’s help in securing a position at the State Department. Fuller’s response is stunning in its callousness and brutality, and brings the book to an emotionally powerful climax.
In scenes blending fictional characters and historical figures such as McCarthy and Roy Cohn, Mallon effectively captures the atmosphere of fear and paranoia that pervaded government during the McCarthy era. He demonstrates equal talent at depicting the casual bigotry of that time toward gays or in portraying high stakes political infighting. Most moving, of course, is his portrait of the relationship between Laughlin and Fuller, especially when seen through Laughlin’s eyes. For readers who know little of the McCarthy era, Fellow Travelers is a worthy fictional introduction. Those who do will find themselves looking at this troubling time in American history with fresh eyes.
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prejudice against gays in government and the lives of two men it transforms.Tim Laughlin, a recent Fordham University graduate, devout Catholic and fervent anti-Communist, arrives in Washington in 1953, at the height of McCarthy’s power. He spends the summer as an intern at the Washington Star, where a chance meeting with Hawkins Fuller, an official in the State Department’s Congressional Relations Office, changes his life forever. Only seven years older than Laughlin, Fuller exudes a sexual energy that immediately attracts the younger man to him. Fuller helps secure Laughlin a job in the office of Senator Charles Potter, of Michigan, where Laughlin quickly finds himself embroiled in the political intrigue swirling around McCarthy and his ongoing investigations. The two soon are enmeshed in an intense relationship.
Fuller slips in and out of casual gay affairs, even while marrying and fathering a child. Through it all, his relationship with Laughlin waxes and wanes, though it’s clear Laughlin’s passion for him is never requited. Laughlin enlists in the Army in 1955 in a vain attempt to overcome his attraction, and when he’s discharged back to Washington he looks to rekindle their bond, seeking Fuller’s help in securing a position at the State Department. Fuller’s response is stunning in its callousness and brutality, and brings the book to an emotionally powerful climax.
In scenes blending fictional characters and historical figures such as McCarthy and Roy Cohn, Mallon effectively captures the atmosphere of fear and paranoia that pervaded government during the McCarthy era. He demonstrates equal talent at depicting the casual bigotry of that time toward gays or in portraying high stakes political infighting. Most moving, of course, is his portrait of the relationship between Laughlin and Fuller, especially when seen through Laughlin’s eyes. For readers who know little of the McCarthy era, Fellow Travelers is a worthy fictional introduction. Those who do will find themselves looking at this troubling time in American history with fresh eyes.
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LibraryThing member Doondeck
At times witty and urbane, but a deep sadness through it all. Intersting view of Washington during the McCarthy era.
LibraryThing member LSUTiger
I read this upon a recommendation from a friend. I'm not really sure why it's gotten such rave reviews. Yes, it is well written, but I didn't find any of the characters sympathetic or redeeming, and the "love story" was disappointing. I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that even
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though there is a payoff in the end, it wasn't enough to warrant the rest of the book in my opinion. Show Less
LibraryThing member callmecayce
I'm not a big fan of historical fiction or really adult fiction (as opposed to J or YA), but the premise of this book was too interesting to pass up. Fellow Travelers is the story of two men, Tim Laughlin and Hawkins Fuller, and one woman, Mary Johnson during the 1950s. The story focuses on the
Thomas Mallon's book was fantastic. He writes of a love affair taking place during a period when homosexuality was equated with being a communist. What makes this even more interesting, is that the three characters are all directly involved in the United States Government. Fuller and Johnson work for the State Department, while Laughlin works for a senator. Their stories are intertwined with events surround Joseph McCarthy and his search for communists in the US government.
While the writing is pretty much perfect, it's really the story that draws you in. The writing is just what gets you there. From the first chapter to the very end, you know where the story is going. From the back, you know that Fuller and Laughlin will have an affair and you know that eventually, it will all end in tragedy. You just don't know how. All credit to Mallon for keeping us on our toes, for when that tragedy did happen, it actually made me stop reading and stare.
This book will not make me read more historical fiction, if only because the books probably wouldn't live up to the high expectations of this book. It might make me go out and read more of Mallon's writing, because this book was quite good.
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affair between Tim and Hawkins, and how this affair impacts their lives as well as Mary's -- and the friendship between the three of them. Thomas Mallon's book was fantastic. He writes of a love affair taking place during a period when homosexuality was equated with being a communist. What makes this even more interesting, is that the three characters are all directly involved in the United States Government. Fuller and Johnson work for the State Department, while Laughlin works for a senator. Their stories are intertwined with events surround Joseph McCarthy and his search for communists in the US government.
While the writing is pretty much perfect, it's really the story that draws you in. The writing is just what gets you there. From the first chapter to the very end, you know where the story is going. From the back, you know that Fuller and Laughlin will have an affair and you know that eventually, it will all end in tragedy. You just don't know how. All credit to Mallon for keeping us on our toes, for when that tragedy did happen, it actually made me stop reading and stare.
This book will not make me read more historical fiction, if only because the books probably wouldn't live up to the high expectations of this book. It might make me go out and read more of Mallon's writing, because this book was quite good.
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LibraryThing member snash
The story of a homosexual relationship, between two quite troubled, not terribly likable men set against the political scene of the McCarthy era. As historical fiction, I often got lost in all the names, plots, and counter--plots.
Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2007)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction & Poetry — 2007)
Pages
368
ISBN
0375423486 / 9780375423482