The Line of Beauty

The Line of Beauty is a 2004 novel by Alan Hollinghurst.

Plot introduction
Setting in early to middle 1980s in United Kingdom, the story surrounds the post-Oxford life of the white protagonist, Nick Guest.

Explanation of the novel's title
The Line of Beauty is a phrase coined by William Hogarth in The Analysis of Beauty.

Plot summary
The novel concerns the post-Oxford life of Nick Guest. Nick moves in as the lodger of one of his friends from university, Toby Fedden, whose father, Gerald, has just been elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1983 General Election. While Nick's sexuality develops &mdash; falling in love with a black council worker &mdash; he becomes more confident. Gerald fosters an increasingly frantic desire for Margaret Thatcher. Nick finds himself caught in a situation where he is only partially accepted by the family &mdash; expected to make up the numbers at dinner and go on holiday with them, but always remaining semi-detached from them. He is not a natural part of the society in which they move, and his sexuality is tolerated only as long as it is hidden: he remains a "guest" for four years.

Characters in "The Line of Beauty"

 * Nick Guest. A white gay postgraduate student, writing a thesis on Henry James and staying at the Feddens.
 * Don Guest. Nick's father, a humble man.
 * Dot Guest. Nick's mother, humble too.
 * Tobias Toby Fedden. Nick's straight friend from Oxford University.
 * Gerald Fedden. Tobias's father, a Conservative MP.
 * Rachel Fedden. Tobias's mother.
 * Lord Kessler. Rachel's brother.
 * Elena. The Feddens's maid.
 * Catherine Fedden. Tobias's sister, an outspoken woman who has bipolar disorder and engages in self-injury.
 * Jasper. Catherine's boyfriend, an estate agent.
 * Russell. Catherine's ex-boyfriend, a bad boy, whom she dates again by the end of the novel.
 * Penny Kent. Gerald's secretary, with whom he has an affair.
 * Lady Partridge. Catherine's and Tobias's grandmother, a racist.
 * Antoine Wani Ouradi. A friend of Nick's and Tobias's from Oxford University, a rich Lebanese.
 * Bertrand Ouradi. Antoine's father, a rich Lebanese businessman.
 * Martine. Antoine's fiance, who is paid an allowance by his mother.
 * Melanie. A girl who works at Antoine's and Nick's office.
 * Leo Charles. Nick's black lover, whom he meets through a lonely hearts.
 * Rosemary Charles. Leo's sister.
 * Gemma . Rosemary's lover.
 * Sir Maurice Tipper. A rich and greedy shareholder; a homophobe.
 * Sally Tipper. Sir Maurice's wife.
 * Sophie Tipper. The Tippers's daughter, who nearly married Tobias.
 * Tristao. A foreign waiter, gay.
 * Margaret Thatcher. Herself, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Critical Appreciation
Hollinghurst has received praise for his portrayal of life among the privileged governing classes during the early to middle 1980s. The book touches upon the emergence of HIV/AIDS, but what is less typical is the relationship between politics and homosexuality, its acceptance within the Conservative Party and mainstream society. The book also examines the sexual hypocrisy towards homosexuals that straight people often display regarding promiscuity.

Awards and nominations
The book won the 2004 Booker Prize.

TV adaptation
The novel was adapted for television by Andrew Davies as a three-part mini-series for BBC Two, broadcast from 17 May 2006. It stars Dan Stevens as Nick Guest, with Hayley Atwell, Tim McInnerny, Alice Krige, Alex Wyndham, Oliver Coleman, Joseph Morgan, Lydia Leonard, Elize Du Toit, Don Gilet, Kenneth Cranham and Barbara Flynn. It was directed by Saul Dibb.