Book Review: The Pursuit Of…

What do a Black American soldier, invalided out at Yorktown, and a white British officer who deserted his post have in common? Quite a bit, actually. 

• They attempted to kill each other the first time they met. 
• They’re liable to try again at some point in the five-hundred mile journey that they’re inexplicably sharing. 
• They are not falling in love with each other. 
• They are not falling in love with each other. 
• They are… Oh, no. 

The Pursuit Of… is about a love affair between two men and the Declaration of Independence. It’s a novella of around 38,000 words.

The Pursuit Of…

Courtney Milan

Rating: 4/5 🌈
Published: 26th June 2018
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs (lgbt author), black mc

Henry held John’s hand throughout, clutching it as if it were the lowest rung on the ladder to heaven.

I feel like even if you’re not generally a fan of historical fiction, it’s different when the books tell gay stories and you’re gay yourself. There’s just something magical and healing about meeting in the text someone like you, who lived a century, two ago. Especially when they get to have a happy ending.

So with that in mind, let’s talk about The Pursuit Of… It takes place in the XVIII century, right during the American Revolution. (And yes, there is some recitation of the Declaration of Independence and yes, it’s more romantic than you would ever have imagined.) To make things more interesting, our main characters are a Black, freed American and a wealthy, white Brit. They meet on the battlefield, where they obviously try to kill each other.

The thing is, though, this isn’t actually an enemies to lovers story. Because they’re never actually enemies? Yes, they seem to be on the opposite sides, but only in name. And before you ask, no, it doesn’t take away anything from the slowburn quality of the romance. They still have to learn to see eye to eye, they still have to learn to outgrow their prejudices & what’s most important – Henry, the British officer, has to acknowledge his privileges and figure out how to use them for something good.

So it’s a story of two people growing up together, in a way; learning about themselves, about each other, about the world. The bulk of it takes place when they walk some 500 miles (and they would walk 500 more). You’d think that means it’s boring, that nothing happens. And you’d be mostly correct, nothing much does happen. It’s not boring at all, though, and that’s thanks to the characters. Henry and John are just so wonderfully well fleshed out! To top it off, Henry is probably the most ridiculous person I’ve read about this year and he makes the whole novella absolutely hilarious.

Yes, The Pursuit Of… is a novella, it’s barely 40.000 words long. And yet – because of how real the characters are – it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will heal your gay heart. It’s a love story and it’s an exceptionally wholesome one. It’s full to the brim with smart metaphors, with little moments that feel almost sacred and ring very true to a gay ear, with pure hope.