A stunning portrait of community, identity, and sexuality, by the critically acclaimed author of The Narrow Door
Later
- “Later: My Life at the Edge of the World” intimately and extensively recounts the time [Lisicky] spent [in Provincetown] in the early 1990s, growing into his own, sexually and emotionally, in a community grappling with the AIDS epidemic."—The New York Times
When Paul Lisicky arrived in Provincetown in the early 1990s, he was leaving behind a history of family trauma to live in a place outside of time, known for its values of inclusion, acceptance, and art. In this idyllic haven, Lisicky searches for love and connection and comes into his own as he finds a sense of belonging. At the same time, the center of this community is consumed by the AIDS crisis, and the very structure of town life is being rewired out of necessity: What might this utopia look like during a time of dystopia?
Later dramatizes a spectacular yet ravaged place and a unique era when more fully becoming one’s self collided with the realization that ongoingness couldn’t be taken for granted, and staying alive from moment to moment exacted absolute attention. Following the success of his acclaimed memoir, The Narrow Door, Lisicky fearlessly explores the body, queerness, love, illness, community, and belonging in this masterful, ingenious new book.
Praise
- “A sobering sense of impermanence permeates the pages of Later, which acts as a ruminative guide to an exhilarating queer utopia, one reeling from the impact of a dystopian age.”—Them.
- “A lyrical book of nonfiction both metaphysical and embodied, Later concerns itself contemplatively with the souls of humans and their mortal containers. . . . Lisicky writes lucidly with sorrow and joy of the complicated tension between transience and community in Provincetown.”—Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
- “A huge variety of people and even animals are given consideration and respect, including those who appear only on a few scattered pages. You’re reminded that looking closely can be a form of love.”—Harper’s
- “With deep sensitivity, love, and gravity, Lisicky finds connections both haunting and liberating in this tender and energetic book.”—New York Observer