Fellow Travelers

Thomas Mallon writes extraordinary historical fiction. His recent books Finale (on the Reagan years) and Watergate are both exceptional. Fellow Travelers is equally strong but different in its conception. It is not so much a fictionalized (but authentic) bit of history like Finale and Watergate; it is a private story set within a historical period. It is a gay love story whose central actions occur during the McCarthy ‘era’.Tim Laughlin is a young Fordham grad who comes to Washington. There he meets Hawkins Fuller, a slightly older man with whom he falls in love. Fuller has some feelings for Tim but he is essentially a user, promiscuous and self-centered, while Tim is giving, generous and also profoundly religious. We are told very early in the novel (nearly forty years later) that Fuller is now in Estonia when he learns of Tim’s death at the age of 59. This is a striking narrative strategy, since it reveals that their affair ended decades earlier and that there will be, in effect, no happy ending. The person who contacts Fuller is an old friend named Mary Johnson, who worked with him at the State Department during the time that Fuller knew Tim Laughlin.Mary has her own story and the bulk of the novel consists of an extended flashback to the 1950’s, centering on Mary’s, Tim’s and Hawk’s lives but within the context of the red scare, the lavender scare and the sometimes larger than life, sometimes smaller than life world of Tailgunner Joe, Mary McGrory, Perle Mesta, Richard Nixon, Drew Pearson, et al. The author was a toddler at the time, but those of us who remember those times from direct experience can testify to the accuracy of his portrayals and the depth of the research on which they are based.Along with being a touching, sad and very powerful love story, this is a story about Washington and about the young people who are drawn to it. The portrait is not usually a favorable one. I spent 17 years there; one of the first things I was told is that ‘there is only one good job in town and everyone else spins around it like satellites’. I would add that it is indeed a bubble town, a tiny world of endless gossip, logrolling, backbiting and self-interested maneuvering with would-be puppet masters everywhere, lubricating the city with cash and influence. It is the perfect setting for human drama, though that drama is always likely to be sad and far less heroic (up-close) than it is represented to be. While the city is a ‘center of power’ the vast majority of its inhabitants see themselves as powerless and go to great lengths (in generally fruitless attempts) to alter that condition.One of the author’s great strengths is that he is scrupulously fair when it comes to politics and ideology. He never indulges in screeds and he never grinds axes. He sees human beings with all of their warts, flaws and shortcomings but with love, compassion and a search for the elements of the heart which we share and aspire to cultivate. This adds immeasurably to the power of the narratives and makes his stories profoundly human rather than simplemindedly political.Bottom line: a superb, touching novel. Highly recommended.

I must admit that while I loved Fellow Travelers, it was a bit of a struggle at times. I would have like to have seen more of the relationship between Fuller and Laughlin and less of the daily intricacies of politics. Mallon does a terrific job of recreating one of my favorite time periods and while the story is often riveting, it does occasionally stall with too many filler-like political divergences. But there of so few stories like this that I can’t help but go with four stars. The relevance of the story and the emotional impact it eventually delivered were exactly what I had hoped for.

This is the first book I've read by Thomas Mallon, even though I already own "Bandbox". I will be certain to read it now and probably all the rest. I was very young during the time this novel covers; but I find it fascinating. The novel has peaked my interest in Washington as a city. I've been there before; but now I really want to visit again to delve into the city. Even though it would probably be impossible to separate government totally from the city, this novel reminds us that Washington has and always will be a place to live as well.An amazing amount of research was put into this novel. An unbelievable number of references to actual living persons during this period and actual events related to them add a touch of authenticity. Other individuals are woven into the story in minor ways to add an even greater feel of the 1950's. During a weekend visit to New Orleans, Tim even meets Clay Shaw at a time long before the Kennedy assassination and it's aftermath in New Orleans. Whether this meeting was based on an actual event or simply a narrative invention is not known; but the novel is full of these sidelines.The story of Tim & Hawk was absolutely wonderful and so true to life as it was then. For the reviewer who gave the novel one star because he/she thought it would be impossible for two men to carry on a relationship right under the nose of all their associates without actually coming out, I just want to ask this person when he/she plans to remove the blinders. Men have always done this, especially then. In addition, it would be true to say that in most cases, they weren't fooling anyone except themselves in believing that no one knew. I guess it was a sort of 50's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" kind of mentality. Believe me it existed; it still does.It is heartbreaking and yet so nostalgic to read about Tim's thoughts and feelings regarding Hawk and how he obsesses over the meaning of every word or gesture from his somewhat older and more experienced love object. It is heartbreaking and sad in a different way to look at things from Hawk's perspective because he was, in a way, less qualified as a candidate to lead a double life since he doesn't know restraint nearly as intimately as Tim. Yet Hawk becomes the one to lead that double life, placing himself out of reach of true happiness forever.After reading this novel, I long to find others with similar themes with stories from the 1950's. Not since "Jeb and Dash: A Diary of Gay Life 1918-1945" has there been such an intimate look at the lives of gay individuals during a period of time long ago. I really recommend "Fellow Travelers" to anyone, gay or straight. There is much within it's covers for all of us.

i saw the movie so thought i would get the book. usually books are better than movie. but in this case the movie was better. actually the book was boring. the movie characters were very intense and interesting. did not get that intensity in the book. it is a fascinating story though. but that whole thing changed. now anything and everything goes for good or bad.

I read a blurb about this decade old book that was being made into a mini-series. The subject sounded interesting and since I was brought up within the McCarthy era I ordered it. It is absolutely terrific. I was very taken by the plot and first rate writing. So much so that I send a friend the kindle edition. I really wanted to share this wonderful find. Looking forward to seeing how faithful to the book the movie producers will be.

A story about 2 men, both gay, navigating life, relationships, politics, and a massively homophobic culture in 1950's Washington, DC. The story wanders a bit mid-book and ends less happily than I had hoped (making it truer to the era/culture it describes).

Even though it is fiction it had a lot of truth in the way that is closely based on the reality of what life was in the 50s and the feelings of people at that time.

I've read the book and watched the tv series. Some major differences but equally complimentary.The tv series wonderfully highlights the heartbreakingly beautiful love story between Hawk and Skippy, in an era where it was a crime to have any relationship with a same sex partner. The ramifications were far reaching.I loved the innocent sweet catholic boy that was Tim/Skippy, who grew up and went through so much heartache and pain, because of, but stayed true to his one great consuming and powerful love, that was Hawk. My heart broke for him over and over and I just wanted to hug skippy to make him feel better.I have such mixed feelings for Hawk. It’s easy to say he did not deserve Skippy and let’s be clear, he was terrible to Skippy in many ways; but I try to understand that Hawk loved only the way he knew how and could.“Sometimes self-preservation is a stronger force than love, and fear is understandable in an era steeped in hate crimes and legal discrimination. Hawk loved Tim enough to protect him from society.”“…He wasn't my friend; he was the man that I loved.” - Hawk.A heartfelt and moving confession from Hawk after a lifetime almost, of hiding in the shadows.The side characters added a richness to the whole story.Beautiful book & show.

Questa non è una recensione sul romanzo stesso ma sul libro come oggetto. Viene mostrato come un edizione originale americana ma è in realtà stampato da amazon, quindi la stampa è estremamente scadente.L'ho tenuto perche volevo leggerlo, il contenuto è ovviamente originale, pero avrei preferito saperlo prima.

I found it intriguing, that after reading Secret City by James Kirchick, that this book although a novel as opposed to non fiction, would tell a similar story to the intrigue and paranoia of America in the second and third quarters of this century. Travelers though doesn't deal so much with the persecution of gays in the government as it does with the communist scare.I wasn't sure if I liked Hawkins Filler very much. Seems to me he used people where he could when it suited him. Tim was not a weak man but not very strong. He really wanted to be loved but wouldn't admit that to himself.Generally enjoyable.

Very touching story; well written. The developpment of the carackters is captivating. And the description of the social and political environment is rich and lively.

I wanted to read this before watching the TV show and I'm glad I did. It's phenomenal, truly phenomenal. Slight differences between the book and TV series but that's expected. The rawness of the way the truth is written is just outstanding. This is a book that will stay on my shelf forever.