When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend's return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened - while Giovanni's life descends into tragedy. This book introduces love's fascinating possibilities and extremities.

Baldwin's ground-breaking second novel, which established him as one of the great American writers of his time
'Audacious. remarkable. elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips

David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying who he is, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man. It is a decision that will bring tragedy.

'Exquisite, a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian

'Gorgeous, fearless, tempered by dark knowledge and pain . the greatest American prose stylist of his generation' Colm Tóibín

'A layered exploration of queer desire . It is electric' Hilton Als