The Chameleons by John Broderick (Ivan Obolensky, Inc., 1961)
The Chameleons is a short novel set in a small village outside of Dublin about a strange group of nastily inter-related people: Michael Glynn, a middle-aged, closeted homosexual, bedridden with rheumatoid arthritis; Stephen, a creepy (mostly) homosexual young man who cares for Michael; and Julia, Michael’s wife, who married him for comfort and security (he’s rich) but is having a passionate affair with Jim Glynn, Michael’s handsome nephew who also happens to be his doctor. Father Victor, the ever-tippling parish priest, hovers around them all, mooching whiskey and planning a trip for them to Lourdes, to seek a miracle cure for Michael.
Early in the book Jim abruptly ends his affair with Julia to marry a girl from a good family, and Julia immediately starts an affair with Stephen, who has been blackmailing her about her affair with Jim. Their affair gets off to an awkward start when Stephen rapes her. Two young homosexual men in Dublin also appear in the book, and neither of them is happy: one kills himself and the other attempts suicide.
This is all rather sordid and unpleasant, but Broderick is a good writer, and the characters, despite their damp and dark lives, are vivid and engaging. Especially Julia, who’s an odd heroine to find a mid-century novel: she enjoys and values sex, and does not hesitate to use men to satisfy and occupy her. She pursues her eventful sex life without guilt or misgivings, which makes her an unusual and refreshing character.
The illustration is a portrait of John Broderick by Sean O’Sullivan
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