Desert of the Heart

“A landmark work of lesbian fiction.” —New York Times

Jane Rule’s first novel—now a classic of gay and lesbian literature—established her as a foremost writer of the vagaries and yearnings of the female heart.

Against the backdrop of Reno, Nevada in the late 1950s, award-winning author Jane Rule chronicles a love affair between two women.

When Desert of the Heart opens, Evelyn Hall is on a plane that will take her from her old life in Oakland, California to Reno, Nevada, where she plans to divorce her husband of sixteen years. A voluntary exile in a brave new world, she meets a woman who will change her life.

Fifteen years younger, Ann Childs works as a change apron in a casino. Evelyn is instantly drawn to the fiercely independent Ann, and their friendship soon evolves into a romantic relationship. An English professor who had always led a conventional life, Evelyn suddenly finds all her beliefs about love, morality, and identity called into question.

Peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, this is a novel that dares to ask whether love between two women can last.

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"Jane Rule was an extraordinary writer—perhaps the most significant lesbian writer of the 20th Century." –Katherin V. Forrest, author of Curious Wine


"Cool, clear—eyed, compassionate and unsentimental, Jane Rule’s work compares very well with the best fiction…written anywhere." Margaret Laurence, The Globe and Mail


"An intelligent and utterly believable novel." —Joyce Carol Oates

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