“The City and the Pillar” by Gore Vidal

The City and the Pillar was originally published in 1948. I account for history when I read pieces like this, so the ending I read (Vidal published a second ending after the first was criticized by even the book’s admirers) was relatively expected. Vidal’s narrative voice is exquisite but I found it harder to devour his fiction in the same way as his essays and interviews. Regardless, the skills that made Vidal an icon still reverberate through this book, which caused quite the scandal in 1948.