The Double Closet

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 March 2011 20:04

an episodic book on violence in relationships

The Double Closettells the story of two women struggling with the violence in their relationship. One is the victim, the other the perpetrator. But which is which? The first-person narration makes it difficult to entangle one woman from the other. Is the victim speaking, or is this the voice of the perpetrator? Black and white are smudged. We can't point the finger and we can't judge. We can only listen.

Both women speak of their motivations, how they cope with the violence, why they stay, and after their separation, how they cope with the memories, the nightmares and the guilt. The Double Closet is the closet the victim and perpetrator share. It is also a symbol for the second closet the gay community must step out of: the 'first closet' is the coming out as a homosexual, the 'second closet' is admitting that violence in relationships also occurs in gay relationships.

Based on a true story.

Authonomy Authors' comments on the book:

Powerfully written.

If you think lesbian love gives vent to all the best in feminine tenderness this book will soon divest you of that comfortable notion. The two characters depicted here are definitely not Martha & George but a Martha & Martha and their conflicts will lacerate the reader's deepest sensibilities. Over 22 short Chapters, aspects of person to person behaviour are played out with dramatic power and fierce energy as the characters merge and meld in scenarios that demonstrate mutual cruelties and reconciliations. Not pretty by any stretch of the imagination: even so, fertile territory for the behavioral psychologist and advocates of role play stratagems to anticipate the cues and triggers of personal abuse. Although the writing conforms truly with the rationale explained in the Pitch, it's not recommended for downcast gays.

It's powerful and I think it will benefit a lot of people out there.