Later: My Life At The Edge of The World by Paul Lisicky
Summary
When Paul Lisicky arrived in Provincetown in the early 1990s, he was leaving behind a history of family trauma to live in a place outside of time, known for its values of inclusion, acceptance, and art. In this idyllic haven, Lisicky searches for love and connection and comes into his own as he finds a sense of belonging. At the same time, the center of this community is consumed by the AIDS crisis, and the very structure of town life is being rewired out of necessity: What might this utopia look like during a time of dystopia?
Later dramatizes a spectacular yet ravaged place and a unique era when more fully becoming one’s self collided with the realization that ongoingness couldn’t be taken for granted, and staying alive from moment to moment exacted absolute attention. Following the success of his acclaimed memoir, The Narrow Door, Lisicky fearlessly explores the body, queerness, love, illness, community, and belonging in this masterful, ingenious new book.
Book Setting: Provincetown, MA
Fine Arts Work Center: Paul’s fellowship here begins his journey
Beech Forest/Hatches Harbor: “Unchartered forest, dunes and marshes” a 1/2 mile from busy Commercial Street
Pilgrim Monument: 25 foot “welcome sign” as Paul arrives in Town
The A-House: Night club where Paul and his friends frequent
Herring Cove Beach: Paul & Noah ride their bikes
Mayflower Restaurant: Paul dines at this restaurant
Ruthie’s Thrift Shop: Thrift shop in Town
Unitarian Universalist Meeting House: Funeral site for friends and acquaintances
Spiritus Pizza: Popular pizza restaurant on Commercial Street
Shop Therapy: Head shop, one of the “beating hearts of Town”
Reviews
"Later: My Life at the Edge of the World intimately and extensively recounts the time [Lisicky] spent [in Provincetown] in the early 1990s, growing into his own, sexually and emotionally, in a community grappling with the AIDS epidemic."
-The New York Times
"This memoir is much like [Lisicky's] Provincetown, exulting in tenderness and lust, lit with flashes of poignant spectacle, even the majestic--the way a drag queen at night can become, in sequins under a spotlight, full of the fire and beauty we associate with goddesses, before descending back to the realm of the human."
-The Los Angeles Times
"Part Lonely Planet guide, part ghost story, Paul Lisicky's latest memoir may well cement his status as queer king of the genre. Encompassing the author's time in Provincetown in the early 1990s, Later charts Lisicky's journey of coming out and coming of age amid the backdrop of a gay idyll still reeling from the AIDS crisis."
-Harper's Bazaar