*Jonah and His Mother by Montague Haltrecht (Andre Deutsch, 1964)
This is the second novel of Montague Haltrecht that I've read (see A Secondary Character, below) and I think he's an interesting and talented queer writer from the pre-Stonewall era. This book, with its focus on the toxic and perverse relationships between mothers and (perhaps) homosexual sons and the gothic horror therein, reminded me at times of Tennessee Williams.
Federika has lived parasitically off of wealthy men, using her beauty and glamour to ensnare them and then proceed to exploit them financially before moving on. When this book begins, she is living on fumes in a hotel with her beautiful 17-year-old son, Jonah. One evening, they go to the opera at Covent Garden, which has always proved to be a happy hunting ground for Federika (she likes her men wealthy and cultured), and this evening is no exception. At the first interval they meet Gray, a prosperous looking middle-aged gentleman, and Federika flirts with him until she realizes he is more interested in her beautiful son. Being a practical woman, she encourages this attention although she is a bit shaken not to be the object of desire -- is she getting old, losing her market value? Yes.
Gray takes Jonah home and into his bed but Federika soon joins their menage as a sort of housemother. Jonah, who does not enjoy the time he spends in bed with Gray, becomes acquainted with a young woman who lives in their building and who sells hats at Harrods (does anyone still a hat?). He begins to court her, ineptly, with Gray's reluctant permission, as Gray realizes clutching Jonah will only hasten his inevitable departure. The novel follows the decline and dissolution of all these relationships, except for Jonah and his mother, who, in the final scene, are back at the opera seeking new prey, with Jonah having unquestionably replaced his mother as the bait.
Haltrecht is a good writer, able to create vivid and interesting characters and make lively scenes with amusing dialogue. This is a slim, inconsequential book, but I enjoyed reading it.