While England Sleeps

David Leavitt has earned high praise for his portrayal of human sexuality and the complexity of intimate relationships. Now, with While England Sleeps, he moves beyond precisely observed domestic drama to create an historical novel of greater resonance and breadth than anything he has written before. Set against the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe, While England Sleeps tells the story of a love affair between Brian Botsford, an upper-class young writer, and Edward Phelan, an idealistic, self-educated employee of the London Underground and a Communist Party member. Though by far the better educated of the two, Brian is also more callow, convinced that his homosexuality is something he will outgrow. Edward, on the other hand, possesses "an unproblematic capacity to accept" both Brian and the unorthodox nature of their love for each other - until one day, at the urging of his wealthy Aunt Constance, Brian agrees to be set up with a "suitable" young woman named Philippa Archibald ... and soon enough Edward is pushed to a point of crisis. Fleeing, he volunteers to fight Franco in Spain, where he ends up in prison. And Brian, responsible for Edward's plight, must pursue him across Europe, and into the violent chaos of war.