First published 1998
William Haines stands at the peak of Hollywood stardom in the 1930s, but his success comes with a dangerous secret. As one of the film industry's biggest names, he must carefully navigate the treacherous waters of a town that demands conformity while he lives authentically as a gay man within Hollywood's hidden subculture. When the movie industry discovers his true identity, Haines faces a brutal choice between his career and his personal truth. The blacklist that follows threatens to destroy everything he has built, forcing him to reinvent himself completely. Stripped of his film career, Haines channels his creative talents into interior decoration, slowly building a new empire from the ashes of his former life. This transformation reveals not just his resilience, but the complex ways people survive and thrive when society tries to erase them. At its heart, this is a story about the price of authenticity and the unexpected paths that lead to reinvention.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, gay-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: authenticity, hidden-identity, reinvention
Setting: Hollywood
Period: 1930s
Hardcover · Viking Adult
Content warnings: homophobia