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Review

Paper, 160 Pages 5 1/2 x 8 1/4

Isherwood's final novel, bringing together his thoughts on gay identity and Eastern mysticism, now back in print.

Two English brothers meet, after a long separation, in India. Oliver, the idealistic younger brother, prepares to take his final vows as a Hindu monk. Patrick, a successful publisher with a wife and children in London and a male lover in California, has publicly admired his brother's convictions while privately criticizing his choices.

First published in 1967, A Meeting by the River delicately depicts the complexity of sibling relationships--the resentment and competitiveness as well as the love and respect. Ultimately, the brothers' exposure to each other's differences deepens their awareness of themselves. In A Meeting by the River, Christopher Isherwood dramatizes the conflict between sexuality and spirituality that inspired his late writings.

"A radiant novel of mystical devotion and worldly desire by a master of English prose."
Chicago Tribune

"Brilliant, vital, challenging . . . very strange and very lovely."
Book Week

Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986) was born in England and later lived in Berlin and finally California. A pioneer in exploring gay themes in his writing, he is best known for his classic works The Berlin Stories (the basis of the movie and stage successes I Am a Camera and Cabaret) and Christopher and His Kind.