humor and heartbreak and a haunting love story

Nate Reminger is a Jewish kid from New Jersey who didn’t think much of his time in high school. It’s not like it was bad. It was more like he was waiting to get away from his hometown before his life could really begin. He worked hard and got into Yale, and that’s where he met Farrell Covington.

Farrell Covington swept into a room, and every eye turned to him. He was beautiful, wealthy beyond imagination, and charming. And he wanted Nate. And Nate wanted him right back. Almost immediately, Nate and Farrell come together as a couple and part of a larger Yale group of friends, gays, and theater people. And almost immediately, they get hit with homophobia. First, Farrell has a beer bottle thrown at his head. And later, his father comes to break the couple up and drag Farrell back to Kansas, vowing to cut Farrell off completely if he continues his relationship with Nate.

Nate and Farrell finish college, separately, and Nate moves to New York City after to work as a cater-waiter, write plays, and join a gym. He experiences the free lifestyle that gay men enjoyed in the 1970s in New York, while Farrell gets married to one of their Yale friends and learns about the family business back in Wichita. As the years go by, Nate and Farrell are not allowed to be in touch, but they are still tethered to each other. Everyone who knows them can see that their love for each other cannot be denied.

As their stories come together and diverge again, they meet closeted gay men in Hollywood and the restrictions of the movie-making industry. They are there as AIDS started killing the men around them, even before it had a name. They survive the fear, the anger, the threats, and the losses along with the successes, the celebrations, and the saints. And through it all, when Nate and Farrell are together and when they are apart, is their love.

Paul Rudnick is a playwright and screenwriter known for his ability to illustrate the gay experience for those of us who are not. He brings the humor and the style and the beauty of life into sharp relief. But there is no way to do that without also bring some heartbreak and tears. To me, Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style felt like he kind of sweeping saga of a love story that celebrates what makes us human—the vulnerabilities, the fears, the weaknesses, the bad choices, along with the support of friends and family, perseverance, generosity, compassion, and our capacity for healing.

I wanted to rush through this book, as I love Rudnick and wanted to immerse myself in this story. But I just couldn’t rush this one. There was too much emotion, too much going on in this story to rush to the end. I had to slow down and drink it in, savor it, cry a little, laugh a lot, and feel all of the feelings.

I wish everyone could read this book, for the important aspects of history as well as for the beautiful love story. However, I know many people won’t because they’re not interested in the love story between two men. And there are some sex scenes that could make readers uncomfortable. So this isn’t for everyone. But for those who are the audience for this book, buckle up and die in. It’s amazing!

Egalleys for Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.