Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris
By APOOO • Jun 13th, 2008 • Category: Discussion Guide •
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Invisble Life by E. Lynn Harris BUY IT NOW
About Invisible Life
Handsome, athletic, and smart, Raymond Tyler is about to graduate from college and is anticipating a comfortable future as a lawyer and family man when, despite his deep love for his longtime girlfriend, he is swept into an affair with Kelvin, a fraternity brother. Confused and troubled by sexual longings he has always been taught were wrong, he leaves Alabama for law school in New York City and takes a job in a top firm there upon graduation. Raymond finds a home of sorts in New York’s gay community–until his feelings for Nicole, a young actress who has no inkling of his “invisible life” with a married male lover, adds a new complication to his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality.
For discussion:
Invisible LifeRaymond is initially upset by his sexual encounter with Kelvin, but soon settles into a routine of seeing both Sela and Kelvin [p. 30]. Would he have behaved the same way if he were seeing two women simultaneously? Do you think Sela would have been aware of his unfaithfulness if his relationship was with another woman, rather than a man?
How does the clandestine nature of Raymond’s relationship with Kelvin influence their feelings about one another? Raymond says “There were times, however, I needed Sela, not just for public appearances, but because deep in my heart I truly cared for her” [p. 34]. Is he being completely honest with himself, or is he clinging to an image of himself as a heterosexual? Why is he unable to tell Kelvin that he loves him?
In what ways are Raymond’s reactions to the gay community in New York similar to his feelings about being a black man at a white high school and college? Do you think Raymond’s sense of himself as an “outsider” is inevitable for minorities in a predominantly white and straight society?
Why is Kyle, whose background is similar to Raymond’s, able to be perfectly open about being gay?
What does Kyle’s choice of lovers who are “not his equal in looks, economic standing or intelligence” [p. 74] reveal about him?
How does Raymond’s visit to his parents help you understand his difficulties in coming to terms with his bisexuality? Why can’t he and his mother talk openly about it? Do the events of the weekend, as well as conversations Raymond and his father have throughout the book, justify Raymond’s feeling that his father would take his sexual orientation as “a personal slap in the face” [p. 88]?
What was your reaction to Raymond and Quinn’s conversation about their successful efforts to remain “undercover gay guys” [p. 132]?
Is their behavior strictly a private matter? Does their willingness to tolerate anti-gay jokes and comments make them accomplices in perpetuating society’s prejudices?
Do Quinn’s deception of his wife and Raymond’s decision to let Nicole assume he is straight [p. 143] reflect a lack of respect for women?
As a professional athlete and public figure, is it essential for Basil to keep his bisexuality a secret? Do athletes and other people in the public eye risk more than ordinary people when they come out?
Discuss both the negative and positive repercussions of recent disclosures of homosexuality by famous people. In thinking about Basil and other black men who lead secret lives, Raymond says “Had I stayed in Alabama, my life would have been similar. There was no way I would involve my family in my gay lifestyle. Besides, I came to realize that it was a lifestyle and not my life” [p. 168].
Is sexuality merely a “lifestyle” or does it define us in a fundamental way? To what extent are Raymond and the other characters in the novel defined by their sexual behavior and their attitudes about sex and love?
Do you think there is a special affinity between beautiful and smart black women and gay or bisexual black men? How would you answer the questions Raymond raises when he is contemplating Kelvin and Candace’s engagement and his own relationship with Nicole [p. 186]?
Do individual men, whether straight, gay, or bisexual, have an ethical or moral responsibility to be open about their sexuality with their partners, even when coming out may threaten their position in society and their futures? What role should women take in dealing with the AIDS epidemic?
Courtesy of Random House, Inc.
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