This is a very solid book. It is rather overwritten, enumerating every twist in tone of voice or facial expression, but that somewhat speaks to narrator Paul's neuroticism. The central themes I came to settle on are that of power and abuse. There is power in being more monied in a relationship, there is power in being the arbiter of someone else's fate. Another thought I had was the power in the setting of the book, that being the 70s. You might consider being gay 50 years ago to be a point of devaluation or oppression, but here it rings different. Is there power in eschewing social norms? Power in indulging in delights that disgust other people? Feeling mightier in something others consider dirt, be that murder or homosexuality. Is power abuse when both are complicit? I'd say yes, but this book asks you that again and again, to feel sorry for the victimized and the oppressor because they are often one in the same. It's a very cerebral book that sometimes takes itself too seriously, but it made me think and kept me rapt.