My favourite GAY novels!
Dear Reader,
When this newsletter sneaks into your inbox, I'll be on a plane on my way home from an extended holiday. So instead of collating a list of author promos to share with you (although there is one below), I thought I'd tell you about some of the gay books I couldn't put down.
LONDON TRIPTYCH by JONATHAN KEMP
I recently recommended this book to a female friend who enjoyed it, but had a different take on it than I had. To me, this work explores inner homophobia in three distinct time periods. Rent boy, Jack, yearns for Oscar Wilde to be more than just a regular client. Lonely artist Colin desires the model he paints while staying closeted in the 1950s. And David’s desire lands him in prison in the 1980s.
After hearing my take on this novel, my friend never shared hers, but she did love it just as much as I did.
BLUE HEAVEN by JOE KEENAN
When I had the early draft of my first novel assessed, I was told to read this book. My assessor felt my main character should be as inappropriate as Gilbert, the gay guy that teams up with a female friend to swindle expensive gifts from their relatives by getting married. Obviously written before marriage equality, this old fashioned screwball comedy also incorporates blackmail and the mafia!
PUPPET BOY by CHRISTIAN BAINES
This is deliciously dark. It’s a tale about Eric, a twisted gay teen who has tied up a home invader and is keeping him downstairs while his mother has left him alone, trying to seek fame overseas. But all may not be as it seems as you keep turning the page.
THE MOTH AND MOON by GLENN QUIGLEY
This is a historical piece full of captivating characterisation. Robin is a burly man who is clumsy and unpopular in the small coastal town he lives in. But a horrendous storm is brewing, and Robin takes it upon himself to gather the townsfolk and get them to shelter at The Moth and Moon, the local pub. This novel is full of eccentric characters — none of them forgettable!
DUBLIN BAY by JOHN PATRICK
This Lambda Finalist takes us back just before the second world war, when two teenage boys meet. James is Irish and from a very poor family. Otto is the privileged son of a German diplomat stationed in Dublin. Otto engages James and his sister to run the house he and his father occupy, and soon after, romance blooms. There are many insights into the politics, and European views on sex, at the time. I thoroughly recommend this one.
PROUD PINK SKY by REDFERN JON BARRETT
This is a dystopian alternative history novel set in 1980s Berlin, a sanctuary for queer folk from all over the world. Several new residents include young couple, William and Gareth, who have escaped their homophobic town in England, and Cissie, Howard, and their kids, a straight family who’ve moved from America. Cissie quickly embraces the queer culture, getting caught up in turbulent times.
What fascinates me about this novel is how the first half delves deep into this fictional society, while the second half focusses more on the characters. It's not that the characters aren't there from the start, but Barrett lays down the circumstances they are living in first, before we get to know them better.
INVISIBLE BOYS by HOLDEN SHEPPARD
The cover displayed above is the second version featuring the actors from the TV series. The novel is set in Geraldton, Western Australia, and follows three teenage boys dealing with their homosexuality. Author, Holden Sheppard, also grew up in Geraldton.
One of the boys, Charlie, is outed when he hooks up with a married man who claims he and his wife are separated. But when his wife comes home, it’s Charlie who gets the blame for breaking up a marriage. What follows is a heart warming tale of teenage friendship and angst. If you haven't read this one yet, do.
Thanks for joining me once again for my newsletter.
Until next month, stay safe, and sane.
Cheers,
Kevin
