Bookbabble: In The Absence Of Men vs. Geography Club

Sometimes I notice similarities between certain books on my list. That's when I don't do a proper review, but rather choose to discuss them in relation to each other. I try to compare the times and culture in which they were created and the intent of the author.
Both these titles were recommended (given or lend) to me by different people. (Thank you Kennedy_unknown and Jelle. You know the one you made me read:)

In common: both books are about a 16 year old boy discovering his love for men. And both books are written from the first-person narrative.
The big difference: one story is situated in 1916 in France during WW I, the other in modern day USA. Guess which teen has more problems.

Synopses are partly stolen from Amazon-customers.

Title: En l'absence des hommes
Author: Philippe Besson
Genre: Fiction, gay-interest
Publisher: Editions Julliard
Pages: Paperback 176
Language: French. Read in Dutch. (Available in English: In The Absence Of Men)
Rating: 9/10

Synopsis It is 1916. Sixteen year old Vincent is aristocratic and privileged, frequenting the salons of Paris while France is at war. In that brutal summer, Vincent attracts two men: Marcel, some thirty years his senior, a celebrated writer; and Arthur, the twenty-one year old son of one of the servants, who is now a soldier at the front. Both relationships become love affairs of a kind - of the mind or of the body.

Title: Geography Club
Author: Brent Hartinger
Genre: Teen fiction, gay-interest
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: Paperback 226
Language: English
Rating: 6/10

Synopsis Russel is pretty sure that he's gay, but convinced he's the only one at his school. But while he's surfing a gay-teen chat room he meets a boy who not only lives in his town, but also attends his high school! They decide to meet but because of the apparent disapproval of other students (and teachers..) there's no way for them to be together inside school walls. So along with a few close friends the boys form The Geography Club. After all, no one else is going to want to join such a boring club--especially if they knew it was just a front for a gay/lesbian school group.

So how do these books compare? Beware of -mild- spoilers!
Despite having a similarly aged main character, the books are obviously written for a different audience. So the language of these stories is very different: In The Absence Of Men has long and complicated sentences, while Geography Club is a book targetted at young teens and is written in a supposedly 'hip' voice. (Someone summarized it on Amazon with: "This is Enid Blyton for the gay generation";) I must admit I had to get used to the structure of dialogue in the first, while the second is a breeze to read, but I found the language of the latter sometimes too simple, it made me feel old. And the Geography Club would get a PG rating at the most, while -of course - the French novel does have more graphic erotic scenes. But when it comes to content, what I found most shocking is that -unlike I would have expected- it's the story that's situated in modern times in which the gay characters are struggling the hardest with their surroundings.

1916-Vincent seems to have no problems with the different social classes and experiences with either the older Marcel or young soldier Arthur. There is a huge contrast between the relaxed attitude that Marcel has towards the war and the emotional and physical rollercoaster Arthur is on, while on his leave. Vincent is very aware of the differences between both his relationships: during the day he has stimulating conversations with Marcel, while he is Arthur's refuge during the night. And even though he has many questions about life in genereal, he has no issues with his sexuality. There is no fear of anyone finding out and he's not insecure about any of his feelings: this is who he is. He enjoys his life.

2003-Russel on the other hand is making quite a drama of his. It's teen angst all around, even though his life is not threatened, being gay is obviously something you can not discuss. Not even with the boy he meets! Only when they find other people who feel like outsiders it becomes easier to share their fears and feelings. But they still feel the need to hide and not tell anyone else. They even go on fake dates with girls and they practically deny each other's existence during regular school hours. It made me sad.

Of course Vincent is not discussing his sexuality with anyone outside his comfort-zone (he is not an idiot), but he's not actively hiding either. He simply accepts his feelings without worrying about them. I loved him for that.

I am aware that getting out of the closet or admitting to yourself who you are is a big thing for a lot of people, but personally I can relate much more to Vincent's than to Russel's experience. Wouldn't the world be awesome if it was like that for everyone? Maybe Geography Club can offer some form of support for teens who are struggling with their feelings, but besides telling kids that 'loners, geeks and outsiders' are people too, it doesn't really offer any comfort, in my opinion. I felt much safer while reading In The Absence Of Men, despite the war and shaky future.

Depending on what mood you go for, you can pick the one you prefer. I know the guy I'd rather spend my time with.