Whistling in the Dark

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen is a work of historical fiction with an LGBTQ spin. The book follows Sutton Albright and Jack Bailey, two gay men living in Manhattan in 1919, at the beginning of the burgeoning jazz age. The book follows the budding romance of the two men, each struggling with his own demons, as they attempt to find happiness together despite the conservative and discriminatory views about gay relationships that define that period.

The two main characters of Whistling in the Dark are Sutton Albright and Jack Bailey, two young men living in Manhattan in the early 1920s who struggle with memories of World War I, personal failures, and strained or non-existent relationships with their families. Sutton Albright is a former concert pianist whose war injury ended his career. After the injury, Sutton decided to attend college but was expelled after a scandalous affair with one of his male professors. Too embarrassed to return home to his family in Topeka, Kansas, Sutton makes his way to New York and works a menial job at a diner to make ends meet while he figures out what he is going to do with is life.

Meanwhile, Jack Bailey is working in New York at is parents' novelty shop, trying to keep the store in business after his mother and father died suddenly of influenza. Jack is lonely and feels guilty about his parents’ death, which he discovered after they had already died. He spends his nights in the debauched corners of gay New York, wandering in and out of nightclubs and engaging in random one-night stands with New York's closeted gay men.



Sutton finds himself a place in New York City when he begins to make deliveries to the apartment across the street from the diner where he works. There he meets a number of eccentric young characters, among whom he finds a home. One of these characters is Jack, whom Sutton is drawn to immediately, but other characters play an important role as well – Theo, the hopeless romantic, as well as Ox and Esther, Miles, Gert, and many others. The wide variety of characters that Allen introduces provide background into the many kinds of living that were happening in New York City in the 1920s, particularly by the young and progressive. Allen paints a portrait of nightclubs, dancing, music, sleek cars, discreet drinking, and women with new flapper bobs moving away from more traditional Victorian roles as housewives and “proper” young ladies. She also draws attention to the gay underground of New York during this period, where secrecy was key to the survival of many of the partygoers, and men married to avoid revealing their true sexual orientation.

A significant part of the conflict in the story involves Sutton, Jack, and some other friends dealing with the aftermath of Sutton's romantic relationship with his professor. David, the professor and Sutton's former lover, scorned Sutton, ruining his life and his relationship to his family. Theo, in particular, is interested in getting revenge on David; Sutton finally finds healing with help from this community of people who understand his pain.

As this is going on, Jack and Sutton are embarking on a new kind of romantic relationship for both of them. For gay men, fleeting and inconsistent relationships are characteristic of the age. It is dangerous for men to be outed, and often trysts end early, or never begin at all for fear of being found out. Sutton and Jack are both hoping for something longer lasting and more permanent this time around, but both are afraid to admit to the other that they want something serious. As they struggle to find their place in a world that doesn't want to accept them, the men and many of their companions also struggle from PTSD in the aftermath of World War I, which Allen highlights with care. The result is a portrait of daily life for gay men during this era, including both the struggles and the sweet, sincere moments a couple might share, if given the opportunity.



Tamara Allen is the author of a number of romance and historical novels featuring gay men. She lives in South Texas, near Houston, in the piney woods, has a family, and does administrative work to pay the bills. Some of her novels include Invitation to the Dance, The Only Gold, Downtime, and It Ain't Love.