Joseph Cassara was born and raised in New Jersey. He holds degrees from Columbia University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been a writing fellow at the Fine Arts Centre in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The House of Impossible Beauties is his first novel. He lives in Iowa.
`The House of Impossible Beauties tells of a search not only for
respect but, above all, love in a time and place that seeks to
starve its characters of both... From these threads of fact and
myth, Cassara runs up a fictional ensemble that craftily stitches
glamour and grit.' * Financial Times *
'Vivid and engaging... The novel feels like an anthropological
plunge into another era, enhanced by rhythmic, urban prose littered
with slang and Spanglish.' * The Economist *
'Fabulous...a grand, beautiful tale of art, love and the human
spirit.' * Elle *
`A marvelously serious, deep, artful, humane read... There's so
much downright gorgeous prose here.' * Paul Harding, Pulitzer
Prize-winning author of Tinkers *
`Fierce, tender, and heartbreaking.' * Kirkus *
`Cassara has done a superb job of reimagining a world that will be
foreign and even exotic to many readers, while creating fully
developed characters to populate it. The tone is singularly
apposite... A compassionate story, which is altogether moving and
unforgettable.' * Booklist *
`An exceptional first novel... The writing is erotically luscious,
lyrically intense, forthrightly in your face, and pitch-perfect in
the dialog.' * Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal starred
review *
'Cassara writes of a community that glitters in the face of an ugly
world. Joy and loss clutch hands in The House of Impossible
Beauties. It is a tragic book, a lyrical book, a defiant book, and
ultimately a loving book. The heroines and heroes hold fast to love
and Cassara clearly has deep love for every character who struts
across these pages.' * Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless
Like You *
'Gritty, fiercely impressive... Joseph Cassara has written a lithe,
fiery and incredibly authentic story. A future queer classic.' *
Attitude *
Some debut novels are much anticipated... Others seem to come out
of nowhere. Who knew Joseph Cassara's The House of Impossible
Beauties would be that good... Either way, debut novels are always
a surprise, and therein lies their power. * PW First-And Foremost
*
`Intimate and dazzling...a novel full of desire and suspense and
heartbreak.' * Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma
Hardy *
`In Joseph Cassara's powerful story about the scene in New York in
the 1980s, it is full of vivid characters and wonderfully authentic
dialogue that reminded me of the period I spent working in the city
during that time. For me, it was especially gratifying to see how
important Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey -- those two giants of
American Contemporary Dance -- feature in the life of the fabulous
Xtravaganzas.' * Stuart Hopps, choreographer *
`Brilliant! So evocative, so moving, and unfortunately still so
current, given all the PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and chemsex
discussions at the moment.' * Tristan Barber, Consultant Physician
(Sexual Health/HIV), Chelsea and Westminster Hospital *
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