The Inner Circle by T. Coraghessan Boyle
"The Inner Circle" by T. Coraghessan Boyle is a provocative novel set in the late 1940s and early 1950s, during the time of Dr. Alfred Kinsey's groundbreaking research on human sexuality. The story is narrated by John Milk, Kinsey's assistant, who becomes deeply involved in both the academic and personal aspects of Kinsey's life, including complex sexual dynamics that blur the lines of fidelity and morality. Through Milk's experiences, the novel examines the shifting sexual and social norms of the era, highlighting the allure and dangers of Kinsey's voyeuristic approach to research.
As Milk navigates his role in Kinsey's "inner circle," he and his wife find themselves participating in increasingly uninhibited sexual experiments that challenge their marriage. The narrative grapples with themes of sex, marriage, and jealousy, questioning whether sexuality can truly be disentangled from the emotional and spiritual dimensions of human relationships. Boyle delves into the tension between human pride and primal instincts, reflecting on Kinsey's idealistic efforts to separate sex from morality and the ramifications of such a quest. Ultimately, the novel serves as both a critique and exploration of the profound impact of Kinsey's work on individuals and society as a whole.
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The Inner Circle by T. Coraghessan Boyle
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 2004
Type of work: Novel
The Work
In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the Kinsey Report, compiled by Dr. Alfred Kinsey, documented the results of a scientific study of male and female sexuality. The novel explores Kinsey’s influence on American sexual and social mores through the voice of John Milk, Kinsey’s assistant and first disciple, who assists Kinsey both in the office and in bed and with both Kinsey’s wife and his own in group sex.
The fictionalization of Kinsey’s story provides a lens through which the book examines the sexual revolution in sharp, provocative detail, especially as Kinsey’s research grows increasingly voyeuristic and exhibitionistic. As Milk becomes part of the “inner circle” of researchers, he and his wife are drawn into experiments that become increasingly uninhibited and increasingly problematic for his marriage. The shyness regarding sexuality that permeates the era in which the book is set makes the research both alluring and alarming to Milk, whose sensibility reflects that of the readers of the Kinsey Report and chronicles the transformation of public attitudes and private behavior.
The book’s primary theme is sex, marriage, and jealousy and the difficulties of attempting to quantify or classify personal interactions. Boyle explores the division between human pride and human animal natures and whether the act of sex can be separated from its emotional and spiritual context. In Kinsey’s crusade to separate sex and morality, his attempt is doomed by his own uncompromising idealism. The novel also serves as a case study of what it means to become another person’s apostle as it explores the impact of Kinsey’s methods on Milk and his marriage.
Review Sources
Booklist 100, nos. 19/20 (June 1-15, 2004): 1670.
Entertainment Weekly, September 10, 2004, p. 166.
Kirkus Reviews 72, no. 11 (June 1, 2004): 504.
Library Journal 129, no. 12 (July 15, 2004): 66.
The New York Times, September 13, 2004, p. E6.
The New York Times Book Review 154 (September 19, 2004): 8.
San Francisco Chronicle (September 12, 2004), p. M2.