Bernard, Diary of a 46-year-old Bellhop, by S.L. Danielson
At the beginning I thought Bernard was a bit too romantic and pink glasses perspective story, but that was all right, it was a romance. Then it took a turn that brought it on a more realistic track, and again, that was more than all right, since it bittered the plot that was, maybe, a little too sugary.
Bernard is an overweight, virgin, gay and 46 years old bellhop without prospective in life. Since he is also without any self-esteem, he is also easily depressed, and at a minimal sign of rejection he answers with suicide. It’s the 4th time and this time he was really near to succeed it. At the hospital he meets his doctor, Jack, 10 years younger, handsome, gay and single. And interested in Bernard. That is good, isn’t it? Romantic and sweet, how wonderful Jack is, a man who can have everyone and instead pick up Bernard.
The 40 pounds making Bernard an obese soon are gone, and a good psychiatric helps Bernard to regain his self-esteem (big obstacle this one since Bernard is really without any of it, sometime I wanted to shake him and tell him, go on, you cannot really think like that, you don’t have any backbone, but really, that was probably the best characterization for Bernard, otherwise there was not chance he could have attempted suicide 4 times, and for quite “stupid” reasons). Bernard is another man and Jack asks him to move in… that is, Bernard IS another man, someone Jack helped to shape, someone that maybe is a little more similar to his dead partner.
That is the catch, Jack is not exactly perfect as it seems, he is still mourning the death of his partner, he is alcoholic and can be really cruel. Not exactly the right companion for someone like Bernard, but at least in this way he can be on a same level with Bernard. If he was really perfect, if he was the handsome and kind doctor he at first appeared, I had the feeling their relationship would have not last, since, once Bernard was right, Jack would have moved on his next pity case. Maybe he didn’t realize it, but he came out like a good Samaritan, someone who wanted to right things for a man, and then moving on another man and so on. Being Jack not perfect allows him to be someone that actually can be a long-term companion for Bernard, not just a passing miracle.
Amazon Kindle: Bernard; Diary of a 46-yr-old Bellhop
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