"Bittersweet" love that dare not ....

I don't read a lot of "lesbian fiction." That's cause a lot of it doesn't speak to me. I mean, I've read the pillars -- "Desert of the Heart," "Patience and Sarah" and a bunch of mysteries (lesbians apparently love mysteries).

But a lot of lesbian books aren't that great. "Clair of the Moon," for example, I'd call terrible. And the movie was worse, which I didn't think was possible. Other stuff is earnest and well intentioned and and of its time (just about anything from Naiad Press comes to mind). But that stuff doesn't speak to Ellen/Rosie lesbians like me.

So it was with some trepidation that I began reading "Bittersweet" by Nevada Barr. In fact, I put it off for weeks after I first discovered and checked out the book. (I found it via netlibrary.com search for the word "lesbian" which didn't turn up much, sad to say.) Here's the description:

"Best-selling author Nevada Barr delights contemporary mystery fans with novels like Deep South (RB# 96111) and Blood Lure (RB# 96471). In Bittersweet, she departs the mystery genre for a touching story of hardship, perseverance, and love in the old West. When strong-willed schoolteacher Imogene Grelznik is forced from Philadelphia by scandal, the only position she can find is in rural Pennsylvania. There she meets Sarah, a beautiful young student whose bright light of potential is on the verge of being extinguished by her father’s arrangement to marry her off to an abusive, unfeeling man. Branded as lovers, Imogene and Sarah must flee to Nevada amidst suspicion and accusation. In a place of utter desolation, the two women struggle to love and care for each other as they seek freedom from prejudice and intolerance. Bittersweet showcases Nevada Barr’s powerful storytelling and strong, compassionate characters. Linda Stephens’ heartfelt narration captures all the emotional depth of a story featuring life at its harshest—and at its most beautiful."

I'm not quite halfway through, and I'm ready for some "sweet." The main character, a 30-something "spinster" named Imogene, was fired before our story even began. She had to leave her hometown in shame, returning to see her first lover died in childbirth after marrying a guy she didn't love, then got "outed" (via a lie), fired again and shunned. She is now in Reno with Sarah, the woman she was accused of being "unnatural" with, without even having the pleasure of actually DOING SO. I think. It's being handled in that coy, plausibly deniable "Fried Green Tomatoes" the movie way.

All I can say is that the bitter better be winding up pretty soon here. At least Imogene hasn't been whipped nearly to death or had her baby taken away, like Sarah.

Now that it's baseball season, I may need to re-read "The Dreyfus Affair," a bittersweet but ultimately joyful tale of a pro shortstop and second baseman who fall in love despite the second baseman's allegedly perfectly straight life. I discovered that book at a time when I was wrestling with my own "love that dare not ..." and I found my own happy ending, so even though it's about boys, it will always be special to me.