A Place for us (1969)
by Isabel Miller
The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
PS3563.I523 P3 1969
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When writing this novel, Alma Routsong created the pen name Isabel Miller to avoid the dangers that come with publishing a lesbian novel in the 1960’s. “A Place for us”, later renamed “Patience and Sarah”, discusses the real life struggles of Mary Ann Willson, a painter who lived with a female companion. Despite the traditional roles of a wife starting to dissipate in the 1960's thanks to various women's rights movements, marriage was still a difficult subject for LGBTQ+ women. Patience and Sarah, the two main characters in this novel, overthink their relationship several times despite their strong love for each other due to the societal disagreement on lesbian relationships. This is even prevalent on the cover of the novel, where you see Patience and Sarah, yet cannot tell they are living like a married couple.