The Voyeur’s Motel: Book review

Veteran journalist Gay Talese is famous for his controversial examination of America’s changing sexual mores, Thy Neighbour’s Wife and for his wonderful celebrity profile, Frank Sinatra Has a Cold, published in Esquire in 1966.

In the run-up to the publication of Thy Neighbour’s Wife, he received an anonymous letter from a Colorado motel owner, who explained that he had fashioned his establishment for the express purpose of fulfilling his voyeuristic desires (i.e. he was spying on his guests). Intrigued, Talese travelled to meet the man – Gerald Foos – and verify the story in person. But because Foos insisted on anonymity, it seemed it could never be told. Until now.

A wannabe researcher into American sexuality, Foos kept detailed accounts of the bedroom activities of his guests and over the ensuing decades shared them with Talese. Voyeur’s Motel combines Foos’ notes with Talese’s account of their relationship. It is by far the oddest and most compelling book this reviewer has read in recent times.