Chorus Creates Powerhouse

David Levithan’s, Two Boys Kissing, is centered around two male peers attempting to break a Guinness World Record, by kissing each other for 32 hours straight. They were not to sit down, or break away at anytime; they were a couple at one point, but now they are just peers. They were taking a stand for those who could not stand for themselves. The more interesting aspect of the novel, is it is told from the perspective of a chorus of deceased men who passed due to AIDs; with this unorthodox narrative technique, Levithan creates a dynamic, relatable, heart-wrenching, and eye-opening powerhouse experience for the reader.

To begin with, two friends, Craig’s and Harry’s, along with others’, stories are being told by the chorus of deceased men. A chorus of men means that the immense group of narrators are all speaking in unison. In the novel, the various characters were being introduced, and parallels were being drawn between their story and the men's’ stories. On page 6, Levithan wrote, “We did not have the internet, but we had a network. We did not have websites, but we had sites where we wove our web. You could see it most in the cities. . . Spots in the park, and the bookstores where Wilde, Whitman and Baldwin reigned as bastard kings. These were are safe harbors, even when we feared that being too open meant we were opening ourselves up to attack. Our happiness had defiance, and our happiness had fear. . .” Here is an example of how the author creates the relatable aspect of the novel. They speak about the current state of gay people in society in comparison to when it was their time. The reader gets a sense of how intertwined we are with social media, and how they searched for a place to be accepted or created safe havens for themselves to get away. When the reading the last two sentences of this quote, the reader must immerse themselves in the words written. Levithan centralized the idea that gay people in the past had rarely any place to feel recognized as an equal, and how while they were free, they did not feel whole. The author centralized an exceptionally shocking truth that most readers may not have fully acknowledged until coming across this novel, and it makes their heart ache from seeing such hardships.

Secondly, on the first page of the novel the chorus of narrators introduce themselves, without stating exactly who they are. They invasively explain how they are the reader’s old family members or family friends, how they are everyone in a sense. The following quote stems from the invasive introduction. Levithan writes, on page on, “We are a spirit-burden you carry. . . We try to make it as light a burden as possible. At the same time, when we see you, we cannot help but think of ourselves. . . We were once the ones who were living, and then we were the ones who were dying. We sewed ourselves, a thread’s width, into your history.” Here, the reader is immediately launched into the unorthodox writing technique. Levithan could have just written the novel with multiple perspectives of the actual characters. Yet, by using the narrators as unique as these outside perspectives, sounding as one, the reader’s mind is more open to ideas from the beginning of the novel. Therefore, as the person keeps reading they are immersed in the ideas, such as the quote brings into view, and they will tear through the novel. The men’s wisdom and preachings capture the reader. The quote establishes how once they were us and then they were nothing; this can’t help but make the reader’s think of what comes next for them. In the next few pages, Levithan brings up the following point, “We wish we could offer you a creation myth, an exact reason why you are the way you are, why when you read this sentence, you will know it is about you. But we don’t know how it began. We barely understood the time we knew. We gather the things we learned, and they nearly add up to fill the space of life.” These quotes resonate with the reader. It creates a tugging feeling in their chest, and explosions of thoughts in their minds. This occurs, because they sound incredibly similar and perceptive to most of the reader’s lives, if not all. People desire for anyone to give them all the answers to their questions. Therefore, these are more examples of the realizations and the points Levithan brings into question by using this particular technique. Thus, creating points presented for the reader to remember and to acknowledge, just by using this specific, unique technique.

Lastly, Meredith Goldstein of the Boston Globe, writes for the Book section. She wrote a piece on two up and coming novels, being recognized for possible awards. One of them being, Two Boys Kissing. She writes, “. . .The story is an unexpected nail-biter; you’ll find yourself gasping when it seems that Craig and Harry might pass out before making their 32-hour goal. And you’ll fall in love with the supporting players in their orbit, such as their all-knowing friend Smita and the characters who watch them commit the act from afar, like Neil and Peter, a young couple in love who consider their own romance while watching the kiss online. . . In the beginning, the Greek Chorus feels heavy-handed — or maybe too dramatic — but soon it becomes clear that the tone is just right, because Craig and Harry are, in fact, changing the world.  Some younger readers might miss out on the cultural references, especially more subtle allusions to the AIDS epidemic. Like the best young adult books, this one should be discussed with grown-ups and read more than once.” This excerpt from her review correlates with the central idea of my thesis. Yet, also plays devil’s advocate to the writing technique Levithan chose. It also hones in on the focal point of the novel. Which is the two boys kissing for the lengthy amount of time, to make a statement and to take a stand for the gay community. It presents a synopsis of the characters’ stories focused on in the novel. Goldstein, while tearing the technique to pieces with love, eventually comes to the conclusion it sets the novel apart and creates a unique, note-worthy experience for readers.

To conclude, the narrators really set the tone and harmony of the entire book. And is what has the reader tare through each chapter. If there were to be any difference in the narrative perspectives, it brings into question how the reader could be interested without that unique aspect. Levithan chose to shape his story outside of the box. Thus, created a novel that stands on its own, and has readers captured and engulfed in every word the narrators preach, and immersed in every emotion felt.