SIMON: He doesn't know where to get hold of life as he's climbing up the mountain side. But, of course, I think Sophie comes to understand that Lionel himself has his own amount of scuffing from the world. We, you know, are two people who've been scuffed up by the world.

And so, you know, Sophie's saying something to the effect of, he's more gentle than we are. TAYLOR: I think what Sophie's saying there is that, you know, she and Charles both view Lionel as a kind of sweet young boy who's, you know, found his way kind of like an innocent hare into the crosshairs of a hunter. SIMON: Sophie says at one point - I marked the words down - don't hurt him, Charlie. And I think what culminates in the book is not quite a thruffle, but certainly a trio of sorts. And he begins to orbit each of them separately and then ultimately together. At this party, they meet Lionel, who is drawn into their orbit. And they go to this party, as young people in graduate programs often do. TAYLOR: Yes, Sophie and Charles are in, I think, what most people might describe as an open relationship. How would you like us to understand them, who are a couple when they meet Lionel?

SIMON: Lionel falls into a relationship with Charles and Sophie, whom you mentioned, both dance students. His stories appeared in The New Yorker, Gay Mag and many other places. SIMON: Brandon Taylor's highly acclaimed debut novel 'Real Life' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Good, because I don't have a great immune system, and, like, it's socially irresponsible to come out if you're not feeling well. I don't think it's contagious, Lionel said. You're not contagious, are you, someone asked. Honestly, I think telling someone where to start with an author is kind of a slippery slope to fascism. Where should I start? Sure, but one person can't do anything against the vast political machine of American empire. Skip a latte and make a damn donation, right? OK, but, like, I've tried. Like, we're this close to being totally defunded. People only think they like Tolstoy better, but he's basically J.K. Brandon Taylor's book 'Filthy Animals' is a collection of stories - some interconnect, some just bounce off each other - most of which are set in a Midwestern university town in which Lionel, a Black, queer grad student trying to build back from a suicide attempt, goes to a party and encounters a couple who may change his life or may just put him into a new tailspin.īRANDON TAYLOR: (Reading) The couple were leaning forward now, each of them having a different conversation with the androgynous person, talking over each other in a hash of references to Dostoyevsky and Planned Parenthood.

Real life brandon taylor