The book follows a years-long romance between Tim, an emotional and unsteady young writer, and Hawkins, an older man with an established career. The men showcase two extremes of temperament, with Tim unable to hide his obsession and Hawkins unwilling to indulge him. Each is acutely aware of the risk their affair poses to their social and professional lives.
Both men live and work in Washington D.C. during the McCarthy era. For those uninclined to US politics: A 1950s political era defined by the policy and career of Joe McCarthy, a congressman who dedicated his career to eradicating communists (and homosexuals) from American life. People were routinely investigated and ejected from work, school and polite society based on the smallest suspicion. Homosexuality was illegal at this time.

I found neither Tim nor Hawkins particularly likable, but they are interesting all the way through. Tim is particularly compelling, even at his lowest points. I think my favourite part of this novel is the window the author gives us into Tim's struggle with his religion. It's incredibly intimate and the prose draws out a ton of emotional depth. There is some introspection on Hawkins' part but it's handled very differently.
Fellow Travelers may be a tough read for those wanting a more idealistic kind of romance. The relationship dynamic is tumultuous at best, and anyone who has been in a hopelessly one-sided relationship will feel the hurt through the pages.

Readers who come from the TV adaptation may be surprised to find the book is just as much a political thriller as it is a romance. The book is full of side characters, whose diverse and well-written personalities make it relatively easy to keep the names straight. Quite a feat given the number of names dropped in this book. The pages are filled to the brim with historic figures and cultural context. Mallon does a fantastic job illustrating how Capitol Hill bleeds unstoppably into the personal lives of everyone who dares set foot on its steps.

I enjoyed the political content more as the book went on, but it is largely a matter of personal taste. If you like LGBT romance or political history you will like it, if you enjoy both, you'll love it. Younger readers especially may find it dry. However, it's a relatively short book, there is lots to love about it, and skimming isn't a crime.

Highly recommend. ( )

I wanted to read this book before I watched the TV mini series. ( )

The story of a homosexual relationship, between two quite troubled, not terribly likable men set against the political scene of the McCarthy era. As historical fiction, I often got lost in all the names, plots, and counter--plots. ( )

In his latest book, prominent historical novelist Thomas Mallon turns his attention to Washington, DC in the time of Joseph McCarthy. While that era is best known for McCarthy’s witch hunt against alleged Communists in the State Department and Army, Mallon’s novel focuses on the quieter prejudice against gays in government and the lives of two men it transforms.

Tim Laughlin, a recent Fordham University graduate, devout Catholic and fervent anti-Communist, arrives in Washington in 1953, at the height of McCarthy’s power. He spends the summer as an intern at the Washington Star, where a chance meeting with Hawkins Fuller, an official in the State Department’s Congressional Relations Office, changes his life forever. Only seven years older than Laughlin, Fuller exudes a sexual energy that immediately attracts the younger man to him. Fuller helps secure Laughlin a job in the office of Senator Charles Potter, of Michigan, where Laughlin quickly finds himself embroiled in the political intrigue swirling around McCarthy and his ongoing investigations. The two soon are enmeshed in an intense relationship.

Fuller slips in and out of casual gay affairs, even while marrying and fathering a child. Through it all, his relationship with Laughlin waxes and wanes, though it’s clear Laughlin’s passion for him is never requited. Laughlin enlists in the Army in 1955 in a vain attempt to overcome his attraction, and when he’s discharged back to Washington he looks to rekindle their bond, seeking Fuller’s help in securing a position at the State Department. Fuller’s response is stunning in its callousness and brutality, and brings the book to an emotionally powerful climax.

In scenes blending fictional characters and historical figures such as McCarthy and Roy Cohn, Mallon effectively captures the atmosphere of fear and paranoia that pervaded government during the McCarthy era. He demonstrates equal talent at depicting the casual bigotry of that time toward gays or in portraying high stakes political infighting. Most moving, of course, is his portrait of the relationship between Laughlin and Fuller, especially when seen through Laughlin’s eyes. For readers who know little of the McCarthy era, Fellow Travelers is a worthy fictional introduction. Those who do will find themselves looking at this troubling time in American history with fresh eyes. ( )

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction or really adult fiction (as opposed to J or YA), but the premise of this book was too interesting to pass up. Fellow Travelers is the story of two men, Tim Laughlin and Hawkins Fuller, and one woman, Mary Johnson during the 1950s. The story focuses on the affair between Tim and Hawkins, and how this affair impacts their lives as well as Mary's -- and the friendship between the three of them.

Thomas Mallon's book was fantastic. He writes of a love affair taking place during a period when homosexuality was equated with being a communist. What makes this even more interesting, is that the three characters are all directly involved in the United States Government. Fuller and Johnson work for the State Department, while Laughlin works for a senator. Their stories are intertwined with events surround Joseph McCarthy and his search for communists in the US government.

While the writing is pretty much perfect, it's really the story that draws you in. The writing is just what gets you there. From the first chapter to the very end, you know where the story is going. From the back, you know that Fuller and Laughlin will have an affair and you know that eventually, it will all end in tragedy. You just don't know how. All credit to Mallon for keeping us on our toes, for when that tragedy did happen, it actually made me stop reading and stare.

This book will not make me read more historical fiction, if only because the books probably wouldn't live up to the high expectations of this book. It might make me go out and read more of Mallon's writing, because this book was quite good. ( )