Desert of the Heart - Jane Rule

Tacky, Titillating Tale of Lesbian Love?

Oh no, my friends. Would I honestly read such a book?

Although, we’re not talking about a pulp fiction romp (or should I say rump?), Desert of the Heart, is one of those love stories between women that I grew up with and came out with.

My first introduction to the genre of ‘lesbian love stories’ was through the film Desert Hearts, which was based on the aforementioned novel. Directed by Donna Deitch, the film of the book was released in 1985. The novel surprisingly was published in 1964. Surprising? With the subject matter and the way in which it is written, yes it is.

Evelyn Hall, a university professor, arrives in Reno, Nevada for a stay of six weeks, to dissolve her marriage of 16 years. In the boarding house in which she stays she meets Ann Childs; 15 years her junior, carefree and independent. Through Ann’s world Evelyn learns about herself, her environment, life and love.

“Awwww, isn’t it sweet” you say.

Well, it sounds it, but it really isn’t a sickly, soppy romance. Nor is it, what I would term, a ‘coming out’ book.

Anne Rule links the lives of Ann and Evelyn with the landscape of the Nevada desert (hence title you see). The isolation and expanse of the desert are a metaphor for Evelyn’s loneliness, both in her arrival at Reno, where she knows no one, and her previous life through the isolation she felt with her husband. This however, isn’t an excuse for Rule to exploit Evelyn as being someone who hadn’t come to terms with her sexuality. At no point in the novel does Evelyn regret her marriage or claim that she finds her true identity through her newfound lesbian relationship. Let’s face it, we’ve heard it once too often before.

In Ann Childs, Rule presents an anti-heroine who rebels against expectations. She has had relationships with both men and women and works at Frank’s Casino. She has had a past relationship with Bill, the manager of the casino, which ended when she refused to marry him.

The unlikely pair of Evelyn and Ann, of course begin a relationship. In small town Reno, it is secretly guarded, but Rule doesn’t fall into the trap of concentrating her efforts on the illicit relationship and the gossip of others, but instead relies on the other real issues that the pair face: The practicalities of living so far apart, the worry of Evelyn’s pending divorce and their concerns about their own ‘baggage’ that they both bring to the relationship. Real lives. Thank you Rule.

It is also the presence of other characters and the character of Reno itself that adds depth to Desert Hearts and transcends the genre of being purely lesbian fiction.

In its array of characters, each takes his/her role in the development of the plot within the novel.

On the boundaries of Evelyn and Ann’s lives are an eclectic mix of characters that Rule uses to guide the reader into their own ideas of the novel. Such as the issues of lesbianism that I have alluded to above, and the idea of divorce which Evelyn seems to regard as failure on her part. Interestingly as the town is renowned for being a divorcees haven, divorce, separation and relationships play an important role, with the old traditional view versus the unconventional. And in the southern US as well!!

Sex, Sex, and Sex?

No, No, No!

I told you, it’s not that sort of book.

Just because something appears in the Gay and Lesbian section of a bookshop doesn’t make it a book that is exclusively intended for a gay audience. As I read in another opinion recently – pigeon holing is a sad thing, it deprives others from good entertainment. Desert of the Hearts is not yet another trashy lesbian novel, with pages of female lusters, entangled in perpetual lovemaking (sorry lads, you won’t get your kicks here). All can enjoy Rules’ descriptions of the Nevada desert, her keen eye for characterisation and moving story. If you can get yourself a copy, then I advise you to take a look.