Small g: a Summer Idyll
Encyclopedia
Small g: a Summer Idyll (1995) is the final novel by American crime writer Patricia Highsmith
before her death in 1995; it was published posthumously. It concerns the messy personal lives of a group of gay
and lesbian
patrons of a bar-cafe known locally as the "Small g".
, struggles to keep his life together after the murder of his lover, Peter, a crime for which he eventually becomes a suspect. Worsening his dilemma are a spate of rumours concerning his relationship with a teenaged boy, for whom Rickie harbors an unrequited affection, which damage his standing with his friends and family.
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short-story writer most widely known for her psychological thrillers, which led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times, notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951...
before her death in 1995; it was published posthumously. It concerns the messy personal lives of a group of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
patrons of a bar-cafe known locally as the "Small g".
Plot
Rickie Markwelder, an HIV-positive artist living in ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, struggles to keep his life together after the murder of his lover, Peter, a crime for which he eventually becomes a suspect. Worsening his dilemma are a spate of rumours concerning his relationship with a teenaged boy, for whom Rickie harbors an unrequited affection, which damage his standing with his friends and family.