White Houses by Amy Bloom

Read by Tonya Cornelisse

So many thoughts and feelings about this book. It’s a historical novel, the story of Eleanor Roosevelt and her lover, Lorena Hickock, affectionately referred to by her friends and closer associates as Hick. That’s right, the First Lady was bisexual, or possibly a lesbian. The two of them met when they were middle-aged ladies, a fact that makes my middle-aged heart go pitter-pat. And Hick lived in the White House for a good chunk of the 1930s—in a bedroom adjoining the First Lady’s.

All of that, as well as the fact that the President himself had girlfriends that his wife not only knew about but was distinctly friendly with, is historical fact. This being a novel, the author fills in where the historical record leaves off. Bloom writes of the reserved, upper-class Eleanor and hard-nosed reporter Hick as the love of each other’s life. Hick gave up journalism for Eleanor, when it became clear that she couldn’t write objectively about her or about her husband (who was one of Hick’s heroes as well as her rival).

Eventually Eleanor’s life distanced her from Hick, but they remained close friends, corresponding as their lives continued along separate tracks. Hick was the person Eleanor turned to when her husband died, and Hick never stopped loving her.

This is a really moving story, as well as a fascinating view of the life of the inner circle of the Roosevelt administration. There’s also quite a bit about Hick’s childhood and adolescence, which makes the life of poor kids in the early 20th century vividly clear. There’s also quite a bit of exploration of the differing lives of upper-class white lesbians and those of their lower- and middle-class sisters. Very readable; highly recommend.