The Golden Gate Paperback – June 18, 1991

This book is one of a nearly extinct breed: a novel in verse. In that form lie its unique pleasures as well as its uncertain reception at some hands.The poet James Merrill, in his epic trilogy "The Changing Light at Sandover" has claimed that "forms what affirms". Does this mean that the satisfaction of the novel can only come if the line-breaks are reliably marginal? Linguists Whorf and Sapir have suggested that language constrains our thought - not so much in the realm of vocabulary as, again, in that of form. The radically different forms of, for instance, Hopi or Inuit constrain "what is relatively easy to say" and hence, what is said. Perhaps so. You'd expect that rhyming sonnets would constrain the voice of a novelist, but Vikram Seth has certainly shown here that is not necessarily the case. Chalk it up to a mastery of both form and story, though, not to versification. His technical skills extend to both realms.Moving, then, beyond form, we wonder about content of such a novel. Will the book wander (or waltz) into the deeply allegorical, the disconnected, the imagistic? After all, aren't those the consequences of poetic license? Have you read your Ashbery? Oddly, this poem is quite prosaic in that regard, it tells a tight, comprehensible story in a manner that is fluid but not embroidered. (By way of contrast, consider that you can easily find yourself spinning away in a vortex of magical metaphor in the latest Rushdie.) Novels, it would seem, are pretty much what we make of them. As one who has never really appreciated the modernist redesign of the novel, I found "The Golden Gate" to be a much more satisfying story - notwithstanding its several-hundred sonnets.The book is a well-textured story about a number of folks living their lives and relationships - apparently in the 80's. (Some reviewers have made much of the story's use of timestamped phraseology such as the use of "yuppie" and the like. Perhaps. But I'd imagine that the term "Okie" was equally a well-understood, sometimes overloaded, term of the 30's which we, nevertheless, can comfortably accept from Steinbeck.) The lives, loves and trials of these folks are presented with the careful painting and pacing of Anne Tyler and J. R. Lennon.Seth's verse in this book has been called "masterful". It is, indeed. Consider that the odd rhyme is hardly ever at hand for most of us, much less available when called upon, as he was, thousands of times. But Seth is more than a rhymer - something I noticed by contrast. I'm pretty sure the sonnet scheme he uses is the so-called "Pushkin rhyme." I only know this since I just struggled through a marginal translation of "Eugene Onegin" and noticed the similarity. But the sing-songy'ness of the Pushkin was gladly lacking in the Seth. He uses true poetic craft, line breaks and punctuation and word choice, to allow the reader to flow between a fluid, songlike verse and a more prosaic tale-telling. In other words, he uses the strengths of both forms when they serve, best, the needs of the work and the reader.So. Don't be afraid of the form. But also don't expect it to seem natural unless you have seen it before. I came to this book via a recommendation of Tom Disch in his essays in "The Castle of Indolence" (a 5-star plug there), and from a background in having sought out and read quite a number of long poems, epic poems and verse novels.If you taste this book more out of curiosity than experience, good for you! But grant yourself the time to bounce through the first dozen sonnets in the singy-songy phrasing that so many of us learned to be necessarily poetic many years ago. Then, as the story captures you, you will notice that the verse, with the help of Seth's subtle crafting, both lifts and disappears beneath the story. I'll read it again, and again.

Written in Puskin stanzas, this novel in verse is a compelling read. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It may change the way you think about life. I bought this copy to give to a new friend. A true treasure.

For Vikram Seth's, The Golden Gate, a novel set in verse,I stayed up late and found it to be anything but terse.His style of writing, quite exciting, kept me in my seat.I found myself begin reciting to his funky beat.While not all styles of poetry are easily construed,his fluid verbal mastery was elegantly brewed.I knew I'd write, with keen insight, my thoughts in metered rhyme;although this isn't what he'd want, it's all I could opine.His story opens with the taleof John, a lonely single male,who's risen in the rank and filebut pines for one to walk the aisle.His empty life seems filled with strife,compelling him to find a wife.Now here comes Janet, once an ex,now just a friend (they don't have sex).She helps him rise above the fraywith sage support and, by the way,suggests he posts his personal,through which comes Liz, quite capableof keeping John from all that's dulland end his heart's persistent lull.Romance is lit, so now we flitto others in our growing skitof friends, lovers, sons and mothers,activists and nuclear druthers.All the while, the humor builds,injected by the writer's skills,not to distract from all the gloryof this now climactic story,but rather to have fun with styleand maybe just to make you smile.Through all the threads that Seth does weave,a tangled web of lives do cleavewhen, one by one, with damage done,our lovers break up; tears do run.The bigger picture that he paintswill make you see the many saintsthat linger in our lives each daybut ne'er we thank them, ne'er we say"I love you," until death may strayonto their path. They go awayand leave you crying as you prayfor one more chance, just one more way,to hold them, touch them, make them stay...In my conclusion, I will saythis gets five stars, without delay.Through Golden Gates do souls depart.In San Francisco lays my heart.

Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate captivates with its clever use of verse to tell a compelling story of love and friendship amidst 1980s San Francisco. The rhythmic structure enhances the narrative flow, making it both accessible and engaging. Seth's ability to weave complex emotions and societal reflections into poetry creates a reading experience that is as thought-provoking as it is enjoyable.

Extremely clever form of writing! The story however was quite contrived and therefore not believable. But wordsmiths, punsters, and lovers of satire will enjoy the literary style.