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3.5 stars rounded up because Aster Glenn Gray deserves more recognition for her fascinating body of work, including [b:Honeytrap 55135062 Honeytrap Aster Glenn Gray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598478534l/55135062.SY75.jpg 85889122], [b:Tramps and Vagabonds 60883964 Tramps and Vagabonds Aster Glenn Gray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650927577l/60883964.SY75.jpg 96024438], and my favorite, [b:Briarley 40052412 Briarley Aster Glenn Gray https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525656039l/40052412.SY75.jpg 62067614]. In each of those books, Gray skillfully portrays love stories that feel rooted to their setting - for example, you wouldn't expect passionate declarations of love between two young hoboes who are focused on finding food, shelter, and safety in the Great Depression - yet somehow deeply romantic. With The Sleeping Soldier, the author is intent on contrasting the affectionate, demonstrative love between close male friends of the mid 19th century with the rigid sexual stereotypes and homophobia a century later that considered almost any physical contact (besides sports) as “homo.” The vehicle she uses to do so is a queered version of “Sleeping Beauty” that asks a lot from the reader without providing a completely comparable reward. I know this is fantasy/time travel story, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Russell's “curse” includes a convenient stipulation that anyone who hears his story to will immediately believe it. Also, before she died, his mother made arrangements with a young lawyer to be there for Russell when he awoke from his 100 year sleep, enrolling him in college and providing him with a seemingly unlimited amount of money. This significant plot contrivance means we don't have to worry about Russell being the target of rogue scientists who want to study him, or his being a stranger in a strange land with no identity papers. The sole focus is on the relationship between Caleb, a closet homosexual, and Russell, who wants to kiss and hug Caleb while also attending every dance with a different pretty girl. There are interesting discussions to be had as Russell struggles to understand the boundaries of his new life. “I would have thought feelings were feelings and always the same, and it turns out they are as changeable as popular songs,” Russell said. “I don't think our hearts have changed,” Caleb said, suddenly fierce. “Just the way we express what we're feeling.” Although Russell at first comes across as a charming rascal, he does eventually grieve for the people he lost while sleeping, and the familiar world to which he can never return. Meanwhile Caleb, who spent the previous summer in Chicago where he finally met other queer men, is mourning the “normal” life he will never have. It's all very poignant, but without any of the other major issues needing to be addressed it feels insular. Plus it strains credulity that Russell easily accepts the integration of Blacks, Jews, and Asians at his Indiana college, even if he did fight for the Union army. His political sensibility seems much more modern than it should be (although he can't comprehend that the Democrats are the “civil rights party” now). I did enjoy The Sleeping Soldier, but it didn't enthrall me like my favorite Gray novels. Still, she is one of those authors like [a:Tamara Allen 2765359 Tamara Allen https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] who publish too infrequently and fly too far under the radar. If this is the book that brings Gray more widespread attention I'll be truly happy for her.
