''The Night Listener'' is a 2000

roman à clef A ''roman à clef'' ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. This m ...

Armistead Maupin Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1944) is an American writer notable for '' Tales of the City'', a series of novels set in San Francisco. Early life Maupin was born in Washington, D.C., to Diana Jane (Barton) and Armistead Jones Maup ...

. The novel's plot is based on the author's interaction with

Anthony Godby Johnson Anthony Godby Johnson is the subject and supposed author of the 1993 memoir ''A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story''. Subsequent investigations suggest that Johnson may have been the literary creation of Vicki Johnson, who purporte ...

, the purported author of a book, '' A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story'', both before and after Anthony is suspected of being a hoax.

Plot summary

Gabriel Noone is a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

writer whose late-night radio stories have brought him into the homes of millions. Noone has recently separated from Jess, his partner of ten years. Noone's publisher sends him the galleys of a

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

apparently written by a 13-year-old boy, Peter Lomax. The author claims to have been the victim of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

and infected with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. According to his memoir, his father started beating him at two and raped him at four; his mother videotaped the "sessions". When he was eight years old, his parents started

pimping Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term "pimp" ...

him and selling videotapes. When Pete was age 11, he ran away with the

pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

tapes, and his parents were jailed. A psychologist named Donna Lomax took the boy in and eventually

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

him. Noone contacts the boy and they start exchanging a series of phone calls that develop into a kind of father/son relationship. He begins to suspect that Pete does not exist and that he and his memoir are fabrications by Donna. Even a visit to their home is inconclusive, and the novel ends with Gabriel feeling that the value of the relationship to him is more important than whether or not Pete is real. Subplots in the novel revolve around Gabriel's relationships with his lover and his father. Important themes are the nature of father/son relationships, the power struggle involved in caring for and being cared for by another, the embellishment of truth, and the secrets we keep even in the most intimate relationships.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

*The novel was adapted into a 2006

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

starring

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...

, which was co-written by Maupin, Terry Anderson and director

Patrick Stettner Patrick Stettner is an American film director and writer. His first film, ''Flux'', was released in 1996 as a Short film, short, and starred Allison Janney in an early role. He went on to direct and write the screenplay for ''The Business of Strang ...

. *"

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

", a 2002 episode of the television series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', borrowed heavily from the book's plot.

External links

New York Times review
*

' review of ''The Night Listener'' by David Valdes Greenwood for the ''Portland Phoenix'', October 2000. 2000 American novels 2000s LGBTQ novels American novels adapted into films Novels by Armistead Maupin Roman à clef novels HarperCollins books 2000 LGBTQ-related literary works {{2000s-LGBT-novel-stub

Plot summary

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

See also

External links