Fellow Travelers

Thomas Mallon writes extraordinary historical fiction. His recent books Finale (on the Reagan years) and Watergate are both exceptional. Fellow Travelers is equally strong but different in its conception. It is not so much a fictionalized (but authentic) bit of history like Finale and Watergate; it is a private story set within a historical period. It is a gay love story whose central actions occur during the McCarthy ‘era’. Tim Laughlin is a young Fordham grad who comes to Washington. There he meets Hawkins Fuller, a slightly older man with whom he falls in love. Fuller has some feelings for Tim but he is essentially a user, promiscuous and self-centered, while Tim is giving, generous and also profoundly religious. We are told very early in the novel (nearly forty years later) that Fuller is now in Estonia when he learns of Tim’s death at the age of 59. This is a striking narrative strategy, since it reveals that their affair ended decades earlier and that there will be, in effect, no happy ending. The person who contacts Fuller is an old friend named Mary Johnson, who worked with him at the State Department during the time that Fuller knew Tim Laughlin. Mary has her own story and the bulk of the novel consists of an extended flashback to the 1950’s, centering on Mary’s, Tim’s and Hawk’s lives but within the context of the red scare, the lavender scare and the sometimes larger than life, sometimes smaller than life world of Tailgunner Joe, Mary McGrory, Perle Mesta, Richard Nixon, Drew Pearson, et al. The author was a toddler at the time, but those of us who remember those times from direct experience can testify to the accuracy of his portrayals and the depth of the research on which they are based. Along with being a touching, sad and very powerful love story, this is a story about Washington and about the young people who are drawn to it. The portrait is not usually a favorable one. I spent 17 years there; one of the first things I was told is that ‘there is only one good job in town and everyone else spins around it like satellites’. I would add that it is indeed a bubble town, a tiny world of endless gossip, logrolling, backbiting and self-interested maneuvering with would-be puppet masters everywhere, lubricating the city with cash and influence. It is the perfect setting for human drama, though that drama is always likely to be sad and far less heroic (up-close) than it is represented to be. While the city is a ‘center of power’ the vast majority of its inhabitants see themselves as powerless and go to great lengths (in generally fruitless attempts) to alter that condition. One of the author’s great strengths is that he is scrupulously fair when it comes to politics and ideology. He never indulges in screeds and he never grinds axes. He sees human beings with all of their warts, flaws and shortcomings but with love, compassion and a search for the elements of the heart which we share and aspire to cultivate. This adds immeasurably to the power of the narratives and makes his stories profoundly human rather than simplemindedly political. Bottom line: a superb, touching novel. Highly recommended.

This engrossing novel focuses on the clandestine affair between two male government staffers during the 1950s in Washington, DC. One is Tim Laughlin, an eager “good little boy” who truly believes in the fight against Communism, his Catholic faith, hot dogs, and apple pie. The other is the aptly named Hawk Fuller, a slightly older and much shrewder pol who seduces Tim and alternately exploits, loves, abuses, and betrays him. Tim and Hawk are not, however, the only characters who harbor secrets in this story. The pernicious Senator Joe McCarthy, the despicable Roy Cohn, the war hero Senator Potter (for whom Tim works), various secretaries, politicians, ambassadors, family members—every one of them is hiding some sort of secret that will ultimately alter their lives. Shrouded in the obsession with propriety and the quest for respectability that seemed to define post-WWII America, Mellon’s novel is both a painstakingly brutal examination of the consequences of conformity and an enlightening journey through the machinations of Eisenhower-era politicians. Fellow Travelers is a testament to the idea that the personal is political—and vice versa.

This is the first book I've read by Thomas Mallon, even though I already own "Bandbox". I will be certain to read it now and probably all the rest. I was very young during the time this novel covers; but I find it fascinating. The novel has peaked my interest in Washington as a city. I've been there before; but now I really want to visit again to delve into the city. Even though it would probably be impossible to separate government totally from the city, this novel reminds us that Washington has and always will be a place to live as well. An amazing amount of research was put into this novel. An unbelievable number of references to actual living persons during this period and actual events related to them add a touch of authenticity. Other individuals are woven into the story in minor ways to add an even greater feel of the 1950's. During a weekend visit to New Orleans, Tim even meets Clay Shaw at a time long before the Kennedy assassination and it's aftermath in New Orleans. Whether this meeting was based on an actual event or simply a narrative invention is not known; but the novel is full of these sidelines. The story of Tim & Hawk was absolutely wonderful and so true to life as it was then. For the reviewer who gave the novel one star because he/she thought it would be impossible for two men to carry on a relationship right under the nose of all their associates without actually coming out, I just want to ask this person when he/she plans to remove the blinders. Men have always done this, especially then. In addition, it would be true to say that in most cases, they weren't fooling anyone except themselves in believing that no one knew. I guess it was a sort of 50's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" kind of mentality. Believe me it existed; it still does. It is heartbreaking and yet so nostalgic to read about Tim's thoughts and feelings regarding Hawk and how he obsesses over the meaning of every word or gesture from his somewhat older and more experienced love object. It is heartbreaking and sad in a different way to look at things from Hawk's perspective because he was, in a way, less qualified as a candidate to lead a double life since he doesn't know restraint nearly as intimately as Tim. Yet Hawk becomes the one to lead that double life, placing himself out of reach of true happiness forever. After reading this novel, I long to find others with similar themes with stories from the 1950's. Not since "Jeb and Dash: A Diary of Gay Life 1918-1945" has there been such an intimate look at the lives of gay individuals during a period of time long ago. I really recommend "Fellow Travelers" to anyone, gay or straight. There is much within it's covers for all of us.

I bought the book because I loved the Showtime limited series. The book is slower paced than the show and it isn't heavy on the spice. Overall, it's an okay book, but it's's not something I plan to read again. So, in this case it doesn't matter if you read or watch the show first because they're in two different lanes.

I stumbled onto the works of Thomas Mallon by accident. I was in a book store and saw his most recent release, "Watergate, A novel" and thought I thumb through it. Firs of all, I loved it and recommend it also. In fact, I loved it so much, I bought several of his works, including "Fellow Travelers". His writing style brings history to life in a way few other historical novelists do. This novel hooked me from start to finish, and several times I had to sit it down to gather my thoughts and feelings. I realize other readers may not be as connected to the characters as I am, as a gay man working in government, but I'm sure anyone with any interest in government, politics, history, would enjoy. I was so deeply connected to the characters that it took me a few days to recover after finishing this book, at which time I quickly passed my copy on to a friend to read!

I must admit that while I loved Fellow Travelers, it was a bit of a struggle at times. I would have like to have seen more of the relationship between Fuller and Laughlin and less of the daily intricacies of politics. Mallon does a terrific job of recreating one of my favorite time periods and while the story is often riveting, it does occasionally stall with too many filler-like political divergences. But there of so few stories like this that I can’t help but go with four stars. The relevance of the story and the emotional impact it eventually delivered were exactly what I had hoped for.

What a cognate but very difficult to read in terms of content about gay life during the McCarthy era Unfortunately, the witch hunt has begun again under Trump There is so much history in this fictional novel about 2 Men who fall in love in this era It’s interesting to combine the reading of this book with the Netflix series by the same name

Most of the time we yearn for love. To be loved is a wonderful thing for sure. But so often love is not returned in equal measure. To give love with no expectation of reciprocity should be enough. This book is about the twenty year lesson learned by an eternally youthful soul.

É preciso admitir que Fellow Travelers não é um livro de leitura fluida ou simples. A complexidade na alternância de momentos e o peso dos contextos políticos da Washington da década de 1950 exigem do leitor uma atenção constante. Embora essa densidade possa tornar o início um pouco labiríntico, ela é, na verdade, o que dá substância à obra, capturando a tensão de uma época onde esconder quem se é era uma questão de sobrevivência.

Set in the McCarthy era of the 1950s, this is a fascinating reenactment of the tensions and compulsions fuelling US politics at the time. It took me a bit to get my head round the large cast of characters but the evocation of the nastiness and stupidity of the McCarthy hearings and the witch hunt against gay men in government service is vivid and enthralling. At the heart of the story is a spasmodic affair between Tim, a young, right-wing, gay graduate (working for a senator on the Hill) and Hawkins Fuller, a rising State Department Official. The story plays the infatuation of Tim against the cynical exploitation of him by Fuller. Fuller is the supremely self-confident survivor, Tim young, vulnerable but determined. Yet the relationship between the two men is a love story and it is told with exquisite skill.

Good. Came on time. I loved the show so now I’m reading the book.

Muy aburrido Lo tuve que dejar después de un par de capítulos

I found it intriguing, that after reading Secret City by James Kirchick, that this book although a novel as opposed to non fiction, would tell a similar story to the intrigue and paranoia of America in the second and third quarters of this century. Travelers though doesn't deal so much with the persecution of gays in the government as it does with the communist scare. I wasn't sure if I liked Hawkins Filler very much. Seems to me he used people where he could when it suited him. Tim was not a weak man but not very strong. He really wanted to be loved but wouldn't admit that to himself. Generally enjoyable.