THE SCAR LETTERS

THE SCAR LETTERS

The victim of a brutal hate crime, never resolved, confronts his assailants eighteen years later, courting both violence and romance…

“A beautiful, wonderfully readable, and uplifting novel of personal transformation and triumph. Warning: the first chapter is hard to read.”

-Toby Johnson, former editor White Crane Journal

“There is certainly no question that Richard Alther's new novel, The Scar Letters, transcends the genre of gay fiction, but to label it 'literary fiction' could too easily dissuade a sensible reader from picking it up, reading a few pages, and then sitting back with a sigh of satisfaction, knowing that here is a really good book.

“The Scar Letters is narrated by Rudy Dallmann, a gay man in his forties, who was brutally attacked and raped some twenty years earlier, and has lived in semi-isolation ever since. Forced by his longtime and closest friend, Tex, to confront the issue, Rudy sets about in his own quietly determined fashion to reconcile his past with his present and hopes for the future. Rudy is not the sort to 'assert himself into everything dead-center,' but he is an honest man, with himself and others-not a small accomplishment in a gay or any other world.

“This is a very compelling story-a universal story-difficult to believe anyone could have told it better. Alther handles narrative and characters like a truly gifted film director or cinematographer. We are in Rudy's head, but the camera sweeps, darts, settles, focusing on one aspect and then another of the well-developed supporting cast. Location and action merge effortlessly into memorable scenes, and the often troubling past is filtered through the emerging present leaving narrator and reader (as Rudy says after hearing Mahler) 'hushed, drained, somehow elevated.' There is never an awkward sentence or a sentiment that disappoints.

“Alther intersperses his story with accounts-often just a few sentences, a full chapter in one instance-of the horrifying treatment homosexuals have encountered throughout recorded history. There is nothing heavy handed about this; it is simply there to remind the reader that it has always been there and for a variety of reasons. At this particular time, as the country grapples with the issue of same-sex marriage, Alther's calm recitation of this horrendous heritage should certainly give pause to those of us who have never lived with this kind of fear.

“Bookreview.com considers The Scar Letters a must-read.”

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

“THE SCAR LETTERS by Richard Alther is a beautifully written account of a gay man's psychological and emotional journey from being the victim of a chilling hate crime to blossoming into a self-assured individual. Rudy must reconcile not only the horrible memory and scars of his attack, but also his childhood and romantic past.

“There are many sexual scenes but they do not cross the line of typified erotic fiction. This novel not only explores sexuality but stereotypes and expectations of gays as well.

“Beyond fiction THE SCAR LETTERS is a valuable player in the social battles and conversations that permeate the media and all of our relationships today.”

-Elise Wallace, The Editorial Freelancers Association

“THE SCAR LETTERS by Richard Alther is an excellent, thought-provoking novel. The author has a tremendous talent for writing. The story is complex on many levels, so readers will find themselves quickly caught up in the drama. Experiencing Rudy's likeable character finally healing and evolving is enriching. He seems so real, not easily defined.”

-Readerviews.com