Last Night: A Novel

By Brendan Lemon

Book Overview

In a decaying Havana prison, a young American facing death by firing squad writes a letter to his Cuban lover to cut through the lies the two young men have been forced to tell and find an explanation... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555836453
• ISBN13: 9781555836450
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Alyson Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

A Stew of Obsession, Jealousy, Violence, and Death

"Jack Webster will, more than likely, die tomorrow. In the hot Cuban morning, his life will be eaten away by bullets from a firing squad, punishment for the murder of a teenage boy. Late at night, alone in his cell in a decaying Havana prison, the young American begins to write a letter. In impassioned fragments, he struggles with his own memories to create an accounting for his young Cuban lover that will cut through the lies the two have been forced to tell about each other, and that will help Jack himself reach a state of clarity, if not peace. As his final night slides with terrifying speed towards morning and death, Jack's letter becomes a longer and longer search, as much to find vindication as to explain how a passionate and spontaneous love--begun with such promise in an embassy party in New York and brought to full realization in the complex mix of tensions, repression, and celebrations of Castro's Cuba--devolved so completely into a stew of obsession, jealousy, violence, and death. As Jack struggles to justify himself to his beloved Garcia, a realization breaks simultaneously with the dawn, a realization that might allow him a measure of final peace, if he only had the time to understand it more fully. Rich in language and vibrantly evocative, Webster's remarkable narrative as imagined by first time novelist Brendan Lemon captures with aching clarity and sensuality the universal drama of love won and lost."--© zebraz

Wonderful insight and beautifully written

I wasn't sure what to expect from the Editor in Chief of Out, but I have to say that this is one of the best books I've ever read. It was so beautifully written with wonderful insight into relationships in general. I could identify with many of the characters. I can only imagine what I would be thinking in my cell. Lemon manages to convey so much emotion and poetry from a very unique perspective, that of the man in jail, convicted to die the next morning. Riveting as you wonder what will happen next. So many surprises. Did I mention the beautiful prose? Definitely on my recommended list.

My favorite book this year!

Just as I thought I was getting tired of gay-themed novels, along came Last Night. Before reading it, I was skeptical about the fact that the entire narrative is a man's letter from jail. However, to my delight, Lemon pulled it off wonderfully. As John Webster, the main character, takes us through the events leading up to his imprisonment, Lemon achieves a good balance of both thoughtful reflection (about life, love, etc.) and suspense-filled action that keeps you reading all the way through to the climax. Depictions of life in Cuba, prison, death from AIDS, sex, and the cross-cultural cross-generational relationship of Webster and Eduardo -- all of these come across so real, so natural. This book was an excellent read.

A Very Good First Novel

"They're coming for me in the morning. Whether the news will be death or deliverance I do not know." Thus, Brendan Lemon begins this very engaging novel, the story of John Webster, an American, and his lover, Eduardo, a younger Cuban boxer. The story is told from the perspective of John, who as the novel begins, is writing from a jail cell in Cuba to Eduardo and does not know whether he will live or die. Webster is accused of murdering a young teenage Cuban, a crime actually committed by Eduardo. Although in his Acknowledgments page Lemon lists Reinaldo Arenas' BEFORE NIGHT FALLS as one of his influences, he assures the reader that he has never "set foot" in Cuba. This tale, however, is quite believable. It is refreshing to read something that isn't another gossipy New York "gay" novel with brittle characters so smug about having escaped the provences.Wondrously suspenseful, the book is quite a page turner. My chief criticism is that after all the buildup-- we literally do not know if this is John's "last night"-- the story ends rather abruptly and not totally to my satisfaction. The novel is still a good one, however, with interesting characters and a poignant love story. A great find, well worth reading. I hope Mr. Lemon writes another novel soon.

Gripping, Smart, Funny, Sexy--Best Gay Novel in Years!

With sinewy, yet always graceful prose, Brendan Lemon takes the reader on a voyage into obsession that would make Visconti blush. The novel is crammed with laugh-out-loud wit and penetrating intelligence, yet the narrative drive is kept relentless and the characters are all completely three-dimensional. I couldn't put it down. Encore, Mr. Lemon!!