Very sad and very gay, and a much quicker read than I'd anticipated. The protagonist is David, an American living in Paris to escape himself. He's not a very sympathetic character, except in the sense that his situation made me reflect on how hard it is to live openly and without shame when society is completely disgusted by one's sexuality. The book has a certain element of mystery which I was glad I knew nothing about, so I'll say no more about the plot here. I definitely want to read more James Baldwin.