Numbers Book

John Rechy is a wonderful but sadly unappreciated writer and this is one of his best books. It tells the story of Johnny Rio (a barely fictionalised version of the author) who returns to Los Angeles for ten days in which he will hunt for a fixed number of sexual partners. And this is where we come to the major reason for Rechy's lack of wider public appreciation: his novels contain a great deal of explicit description of male-to-male sexual acts. Even in the 21st Century, some people may find this shocking. Back in 1967, when this novel was written, it is hard to imagine the impact it might have had. In his preface Rechy says that when he showed the manuscript to a friend, he was warned against publishing it as the book would harm his reputation as a serious writer. I think that is true - it probably did harm his reputation. Nevertheless, I am glad that Rechy did publish it as the book is extraordinary.

It is by no means a pornographic book. It is, in fact, beautifully written. The descriptions of Griffith Park have a heightened reality that is often quite dreamlike. Moreover, the themes of the book are universal: life, love, hope, despair and death.

I don't think 'Numbers' is quite as good as Rechy's later book, The Sexual Outlaw. And it is not as famous as his first book, City Of Night. Even so, this is a fine book by one of the very best of modern American writers.