Review: Go Down, Aaron

This book is a classic in vintage gay pulp book covers. I was lucky to find it for a pretty affordable price on eBay, (I think around $25 US), and in actually pretty decent condition, too. There was no writing in the book, missing pages, or major folds of any kind. It does have wear and tear, and a very small corner tear on the last page and back cover (seen below). But given the price, that was fine by me. Many super desirable gay pulp titles tend to go for $50 – $100 on eBay. Lesser titles for $10 – $25.

• 

• 

Here’s even the bigger surprise: the book isn’t nearly as salacious as the cover implies. Shockingly, it turns out to have character development, plot, and lots of conversational dialogue. The scene depicted on the cover never even actually happens. And of the 160 pages in the book, I’d estimate maybe only 20 of them are sex scenes–and even then, probably not as explicit as you’d likely imagine.

Most books like this are the literary version of a porn movie, with comparable dialogue and plot. But a few of them aspire to be more, and I feel this is one of them. Here’s the first paragraph of the book:

The village of Richtmausen is brutally frigid in the winter. The roads, hardly more than forest paths, are frozen hard at night, and run thick with muddy slugh during the day.

The book waits 15 pages before even getting to it’s first sex scene, which is maybe only a page long (and is a gang rape, played more for realism than titillation–it’s not a pleasant moment, and one of sympathy for the lead character).

What follows is a synopsis of the book, so if you’d ever want to read it yourself (if you can obtain a copy), you may want to much past the next paragraph, as I give away the entire plot (since I do figure many of you never will get to read this for yourself).

In short, the plot is of Aaron, a 17 year old Jewish boy (one month away from 18, although his birthday is never noted aside from a quick mention in the beginning of the book–but there are clear lengthy passages of time in the book, so it’s very likely he’s 18 for the vast majority of the book), who, while returning from a trip in the forest, sees his family killed by the gestapo. He runs away, and after hiding, is found by a few soldiers and raped. Later he is captured, but taken care of in a nurturing way. He soon realizes the soldiers find him attractive, and is told he could use his looks to his advantage. Realizing it’s the only way he can survive, he offers himself to be used as a sex worker. An officer, who was ready to send him to a door to camps, instead tells him, “Go down, Aaron. To the door on your left.” Saving his life, but entering another life altogether.

Surprisingly, he is sent to a beautiful facility with gracious accommodations. And the soldiers actually treat him kindly, and talk with him frequently. And while they do engage in sex acts with him, they also spend a great deal of time trying to win over his affection. One takes him out on a night on the town, where he meet another high ranking officer named Richard, who takes a shine to him. Aaron not only feels some attraction, he also views it as a way to escape., as Richard offers for Aaron to live with him, away from the facility.

His plan works, and his life with Richard is idealistic for a while. And again, the sex is just a part of living in a very wealthy estate with servants. He’s nearly more a live-in escort than an actual sex slave. And while there are some hints, such as a mural of men taking glee in hunting a helpless animal, as well as another office telling Aaron that Richard can be cruel, he sees no concrete evidence of that for many weeks.

Until one night where Richard gets out a whip. And while readers may think this is finally where a kinky S&M scene will happen, that’s not the case. He actually rapes Aaron with the handle of the whip, to the point where he causes internal damage and needs medical attention. (Not a pleasant part of the book.) He promises never to do that again.

While Aaron recovers, Richard is called away for a few weeks, and doctors attend to him, along with a servant named Peter. Peter does his job obediently, but in a conversation with Aaron, is initially repulsed to find Aaron is Jewish and a gay sex slave. But as the weeks go on and they continue to talk, a connection is made, and Peter and Aaron fall in love.

When Richard returns, against his promise, he starts to rape Aaron again with the handle of the whip. But Peter shoots and kills Richard, and flees together with Aaron in his apartment. But it’s risky, as Peter is not high ranking, and can offer little real protection.

As the war crumbles around the Germans, Peter is forced to leave. While Aaron is alone, the neighbors call Aaron out as a homosexual monster, and threaten him. Frightened and convinced that Peter has been killed in the line of duty, he kills himself with a knife.

Meanwhile, Peter, who is not dead, hurries home, only to find his dead lover. He mourns and wails over the body, when American soldiers burst in. Seeing the Peter over the body, they misunderstand and shoot Peter. Over Peter’s body, the Americans mutters, “You dirty Nazis just just love to kill!”

THE END

Didn’t expect all that, did you? It really surprised me. It’s tough for me to say if I liked this book… Jews, Nazis, and gay sex are just such unusual topics for a gay pulp novel, and it’s still kind of difficult to process them all together. Guilty pleasure, perhaps? But the ending was unexpectedly moving. And I do have to say I was unexpectedly swept away by the plot. It was way, way more literary and engaging than I was expecting.