So I woke up this morning and felt like the big O, and I don’t mean omnipotent. I mean I want to start a book club! A book club even gayer than Oprah. Er, I mean, Oprah’s book club! Be sure to check Blitz & Shitz on the first of every month to see which homo-related book made the cut.
Confessions of a Mask, the first novel by the legendary Japanese author Yukio Mishima, tells the dark and powerful story of a young man, Kochan, fighting against his homosexuality.
Set in Tokyo during World War II, Kochan wants to be normal, yet he can’t overcome his fascination with the male physique or his vainglorious fantasies of a bloody and noble death.
He desperately runs away from his true self in hopes of reaching normalcy but still struggles with his feelings for other boys. Kochan’s repressed sexuality manifests itself in sadistic ways, and his daydreams are filled with erotic thoughts of blood-soaked nude men.
He meets one of his friend’s sisters, Sonoko, and convinces himself that he loves her. Meanwhile, air raid sirens are blaring, bombs are dropping, and Kochan is desperately struggling to be a strong, proud, real man. Yet he prays for death: he wants to be a victim of the war because death may be easier than lifting the mask he hides behind.
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