Lesley Williams

Lesley WilliamsPicture a Hallmark Christmas romance, written by the creators of <i>The West Wing</i> and <i>The Crown</i>, while they were binge watching <i>Brokeback Mountain</i>. Alex Claremont-Diaz (I'm seeing Timothee Chalet in the inevitable movie) is the petulant, overindulged "First Son" of the first female US president ( imagine a Hilary-esque Texan succeeding Obama). His nemesis is Cover Boy ready, answer-to-a maiden's prayer Prince Henry, 3rd in line to the British throne. After the two clumsily bungle a royal wedding and nearly come to blows, their respective press agents coerce them into staging a bromance to salvage Anglo American relations. But...(surprise !!) they actually become fond of each other. VERY fond.<br/><br/>Okay, this sounds like total dreck, right? So why did I give it so high a rating? Well, first, because unlike every other royal romance fantasy I've seen, this one confronts the nightmare of diplomatic protocol, political calculation, and press manipulation that would attend such a situation. Both Alex and Henry are surrounded 24/7 by an armada of security, press agents, pollsters and advisors, and both are acutely aware of the possible repercussions should their affair be revealed (which of course it eventually is). McQuiston also acknowledges that while Alex's situation is difficult (outed in the midst of his mother's re-election campaign), it is temporary; he will have the choice of leading a private life in the future, a choice Henry will forever be denied.<br/><br/>It has a great supporting cast, especially on the American side. Alex has a white Texan mother and a Mexican American father; although divorced they remain political allies, and Alex is comfortable with both sides of his identity. President Claremont's colorful no-nonsense management style provides much of the book's humor; her response to the revelations about Alex's sexuality is to create a PowerPoint and then gift him with pamphlets from Planned Parenthood. Alex's best friends are his sister June, an aspiring journalist; and Nora, the vice president's granddaughter and a keen computer hacker/ tech wiz, (hmm, wonder if that will come in handy...). It's lovely to see such a supportive platonic relationship between 2 women and a man.<br/><br/>Once the love story gets going, the writing is just goddamned beautiful. As Alex and Henry grow closer and give way to their feelings, their emails evolve from snarky teasing to full on passionate longing. Peppered with quotations from gay lovers in history, the correspondence reveals the depth of their attachment, as they dream of a possible future together.<br/><br/>There is unfortunately, plenty NOT to like. None of the British characters really pop, including Henry; you feel at a remove from them, and Henry remains a somewhat stiff caricature. His mother's backstory makes absolutely no sense.<br/><br/>But the biggest stumbling block is that McQuiston rarely mentions race and privilege. On the British side, there are half hearted feints about returning looted 3rd world treasures and acknowledging Britain's history of colonialism and slavery, but no one actually DOES anything about this. Rather like T'Challah in <i>Black Panther</i>, Henry's activism is limited to setting up foundations and buying stuff; there's no hint that he will push for reparations to the Commonwealth or suggest the royals pay taxes for example. Alex mouths standard Democratic talking points about "helping the people", but although he speaks Spanish and enjoys Mexican food at his Dad's place, we don't sense any deeper connection to the Latin community. He's also pretty comfortable with exploiting his connections to get what he wants (like a law school admit). Shockingly for a Democratic presidential administration and campaign, there appear to be no Black people involved in Claremont's (very) White House (maybe one of the security guys and I missed it?) Nor do Alex and his father experience much racism, either in the US or in Britain, which, given the recent experiences of Prince Harry and Megan Markle, simply defies belief.<br/><br/>So again, why the 4 star rating? Well, despite all it's limitations, this is a cracking good story, full of tension, suspense, last minute saves and grand gestures. And...because this is a story of hope. Mcquiston dares to suggest that two hidebound national institutions might someday reject centuries of tradition, elitism and religious bigotry, and accept LGBTQ people as fully human. Maybe this should be classed as fantasy, but it's a fantasy I want to hold on to. Thank you Casey.