Small g: a Summer Idyll

First edition (publ. Bloomsbury)

Small g: a Summer Idyll (1995) is the final novel by American writer Patricia Highsmith before her death in 1995; it was published posthumously.

Plot

The novel concerns the messy personal lives of a group of gay and lesbian patrons of a Zurich bar-cafe known locally as the "Small g". The main character, Rickie Markwelder, an HIV-positive artist, struggles to keep his life together after the murder of his lover, Peter, a crime for which he eventually becomes a suspect. Worsening his dilemma are a spate of rumours circling around the bar concerning his relationship with a teenaged boy (for whom Rickie harbors an unrequited affection), which damage his standing with his friends and family.