WOW this was a doozy of a read. I’ll start with a disclaimer again: If you are not interested in sexual exploits and exploitation (in a sense), I wouldn’t read this book. It is intensely interesting but uncomfortable and extremely sexual most of the time.
This was recommended to me by a library coworker a few years ago and I’ve just gotten around to it! Gay Talese is a quite the nonfiction author, though I’ve never read one of his books until now. While I knew that this book was nonfiction, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be dramatized or fluffed up for effect. After finishing, I can say it certainly wasn’t, if only due to Talese’s reporting. The Voyeur, Gerald Foos, may have bolstered his journals about his experiences but one cannot be sure. Talese does note that he believes Foos to be an unreliable narrator. However, much of what is told to Talese has truth in it, making it quite a remarkable story.
Gerald Foos owned a motel back in the 1960s where he spied on his guests through specially made vents in the ceilings. Foos installed these in only some of the motel rooms. Then when guests arrived, he would purposely try to put attractive or interesting-seeming guests in rooms with a vent. Almost immediately, he would begin to spy on them, waiting for them to engage in sexual behaviors.
He witnessed all sorts of acts, some normal, others disgusting, others intriguing. Foos got off on this and his first and seconds wives engaged with him. It’s almost shocking to me that he was able to find two women that more than tolerated his behavior. His journal entries and letters that he sent to Talese are detailed, almost too detailed for the six by fourteen inch vents. He described guests using the toilet and bath, which I find difficult to believe looking at the photos shown in the book. I’m not sure if Foos could just hear what was happening extremely well and created a scene in his journal for future enjoyment/publishing purposes or if he could indeed see exactly what was happening.
While the book was rather disturbing, Foos did document societal changes and demographic shifts. He took copious notes, analyzing the growth in interracial and homosexual guests during the 1970s and how he could typically tell when a couple would engage in certain sexual behaviors. He was so obsessed with getting a proper view that he would manipulate situations to get the result he desired. For example, an attractive couple were having sex in the dark, frustrating Foos. He left his attic, moved his car in front of the motel room, and left his lights on, shining into the room. Back in the attic, he could now see what the couple was doing. Seems like a lot of effort…
The book was mostly journal entries, with facts from Talese thrown in about his life and his interactions with the Voyeur. I appreciated the straightforward reporting but we still got glimpses of Talese’s thoughts during this experience. I could tell Talese wasn’t Foos’ biggest fan, in terms of voyeurism at least. Ultimately, when Foos decides to go public with this information and allows Talese to publish his name, he still is unable to take full responsibility. He states, many times, that all men are voyeurs, trying to soften the effect of his actions, in my opinion. Unfortunately, throughout the entire book I couldn’t help but feel perturbed by Foos’ actions. Look, I get it, spying is fun and I imagine for many of us it was a childhood dream to be a spy (it was for me anyway). Yet, we grow up and realize that we can’t just peep in on people when we choose. And as much as Foos claims that he didn’t hurt anyone by doing this, as he was never caught, I would have to disagree. People were hurt and I would love to hear other thoughts on this.
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in voyeurism once (or twice) removed. It was fascinating and if it were more scientific, it would be engaging research. However, I couldn’t help but feel for the guests and at times I felt bad for reading about them! I wonder if any guests read the book or saw the articles and remembered their visit. A movie was even created (it’s on Netflix, apparently. Haven’t checked it out yet.) and the few Yelp reviews are pretty funny, even if they are definitely made up. A Washington Post article came out questioning the validity and reliability of the book (more so Foos, less Talese). And while there may be some discrepancies, there is little doubt that Foos was a voyeur who spied on motel guests through ceiling vents, and wrote extensively about his experiences. Talese even joined him on his escapades when Foos wrote to him about his habits.
So whether pieces of the entries are exaggerated or unreliable, I’m not going to discredit it entirely. It’s fascinating and uncomfortable and at least somewhat true. The next time you’re in a motel/hotel/Air BnB/literally anywhere but your own home, you might want to check for cameras or weirdly placed vents. You never know who is watching.
Music: Portugal. The Man, Elton John, so much Lizzo, and more Mitski.
Linnea Books It 