Providence by Craig Willse
An introverted English professor falls for an enigmatic sophomore and is lured into a web of chaos and deceit.
Mark Lausson, a professor stuck in the middle of Ohio, is smart enough to get a job at an elite liberal arts college but not smart enough to know better when he meets charismatic sophomore Tyler Cunningham. In Tyler, Mark sees another way of being in the world—he finds Tyler’s self-possession both compelling and unsettling. Caught in the rush of sex and secrets, Mark ignores the increasing evidence that Tyler can’t be trusted. But by the time Mark comes to his senses, the irreparable damage is done. Providence shows how feeling trapped in our own lives can lead us to make choices we otherwise would not and the ways in which sexual desire can distort our senses of self and other, right and wrong.
Review:
I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love a gay thriller (“Bath Haus” was the first I read and still pops into my head now and then), so I was really excited when I saw “Providence” by Craig Willse on NetGalley. When I saw that it was described as being similar to “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” I knew I had to read it, and I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed! This book is a gripping exploration of desire, betrayal, and the consequences of giving in to temptation. In this novel, Willse delves deep into the complexities of human relationships and the power dynamics that come into play when one is unsure of their path in life and becomes consumed by lust and longing.
The book is told from the first-person point-of-view of Marc Laussen, a handsome but somewhat awkward 30-something professor who teaches at a fairly prestigious university in Ohio. Growing up gay and Jewish in conservative Florida, Mark is no stranger to loneliness. It was easier to fly under the radar and avoid taunting at school when he shrunk into himself. After graduation, he went to college and eventually graduated with a Ph.D, but the problem is, Mark never really formed any close friendships in college; it always seemed safer to be alone.
Now he’s teaching a bunch of rich kids at Sawyer while working on writing a book about gay murderers and dating a fellow professor. Mark isn’t exactly happy, but he isn’t exactly miserable either. He just feels stuck and unsure of where his life is taking him. But then in walks Tyler, a blonde, 19-year-old soccer player who grabs Mark’s attention. Mark knows it’s against the rules to get involved with a student, but Tyler is persuasive, and soon Mark finds himself entangled in a dangerous game that could end his career, and the deeper he gets, the more he knows he shouldn’t trust Tyler, but he can’t stay away – even if it means losing everything he has.
This book is a slow burn, and while I didn’t find it particularly tense, I was absolutely captivated by Mark’s journey – mostly because I saw a lot of myself in Mark. Growing up gay in rural Idaho in the 80s and 90s was very difficult for me. Like Mark, I, too, shrunk into the scenery as best I could to keep attention off of me. It was a survival tactic, and it worked most of the time, but the problem is, I carried that behavior with me through at least my first two years of college, but then finally met a group of friends who helped bring me out of my shell. But even though I had a group of friends, there was always that underlying sense of loneliness, and to an extent, it’s still there (I think it always will be), so I understood Mark’s thought processes and why he approached things the way he did. While I didn’t understand what he saw in Tyler (I’m not at all into twinks or guys younger than me) or why he continued to see him after he started to doubt Tyler’s ability to tell the truth (I don’t trust anyone, so the first red flag would have sent me running) I understood why it excited him. Tyler is definitely Mark’s type, making his allure undeniable, and it’s easy to see why Mark becomes so enamored with him. However, as the layers of Tyler’s deception are peeled back, it becomes clear that there is a darkness lurking beneath his suave exterior.
Willse’s prose is both elegant and haunting, drawing the reader in and refusing to let go until the very last page. His exploration of the complexities of desire and the ways in which our perceptions can be distorted by sexual attraction is both thought-provoking and unsettling. The way in which he portrays the gradual unraveling of Mark’s life is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing. We know Mark is on a collision course with tragedy, but we can’t look away. We want everything to be okay in the end, but the deeper he gets into the storm, the less likely that appears. The novel serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving in to temptation and the consequences of allowing ourselves to be consumed by our desires. Use your head, peeps! If that little voice says to run, then get out of there!
I found this to be a riveting and thought-provoking read that will stay with me for a while. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers and character-driven narratives, “Providence” is a must-read. Just be prepared to be taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You’ll get frustrated, and you’ll yell at Mark to smarten up and stay away from Tyler, but you won’t be able to look away as his life unravels.
