Top 100 Gay Novel: Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy
All right if people was wondering why I spent the last two days without posting a review, you have Sean Kennedy to blame! He wrote a 376 pages long book, and one that it's quite impossible to read skipping here and there, since it's all story, very few sex and all the elements I like in what I calls "show business" story, means that the heroes are under the spotlight of public opinion and have to deal not only with the ordinary trouble of a love, but also with the expectations of family, friends and fans.
The story reminds me a bit of a movie I saw recently, "Outing Riley", where the main character is not exactly the flamboyant gay character. For starter, Simon spent the first pages of the book explaining us his philosophy on Australian football and the life important choice of the team of your life, much more important of your partner of life, you can change a partner, but you can't change your team; you can cheat on your partner, but you can't absolutely cheat on your team. Anyway at the beginning of the book Simon is single and happily involved with his team, that in this moment is not on the winning side (and it wasn't since a bit), but Simon is still faithful. And since his father is from another team, and his brother from another one, and his best friend from another one, when Simon is not defending the honor of his team, he is willing to defend the honor of another team player, if it's not against his own team. And so at a party he is speaking aloud in support of Declan Tyler, not knowing that the man is behind his shoulder listening to all.
Unbelievably, Declan is gay, even if in the closet, and is immediately attracted by Simon, a man that sometime talk before thinking, but that, all in all, has a big heart. And Declan is the perfect hero: always gentle and caring, always understanding of Simon's needs. He is so perfect that Simon, and the reader with him, has to forgive him to be in the closet and to involve Simon in this farce. Truth be told, even if Simon is out, he is not the classic out and proud man who wants to be an example for the youngers; Simon is willing to give to their story a try, and if not for people around, the thing will be quite good.
But Simon's friends are worried for him, and in Roger, Simon's best friend, I can almost see a bit of jealousy, not in a sexual way, but since he is loosing the exclusivity he had on Simon's time. And then there is obviously the big problem of being discreet, and this means that, apart from his best friend Roger and his wife Fran, Simon has no one to talk about Declan and his issue with this new relationship. Not that there are many of it: it's more Simon that worries, Declan has never asked to Simon to be different from what he normally is. All in all Declan comes out like a very good man, one that Simon should be careful to not let go.
The book is above all a light one, almost funny sometime. Simon is really an unwilling comic character, a burst of energy always in motion and always causing trouble... he is not exactly the man to choose if you want to be discreet. But Declan is obviously in love and ready to forgive, and forget, a lot of thing. Simon is not ever a man who would be able to approach in the right way a relationship with Declan, since Simon is not a man who is able to read between the lines, and Declan is not a man to speak aloud his mind; and so if not for the help of Fran, probably Simon and Declan would have a lot of more trouble to be together.
The book is really romantic, with a lot of scenes that will melt the heart of the most romantic reader, the classical big Hollywood comedy scenes, flowers and chocolate type (even if here is more beer and steak, but well, Simon is not, as I said, your typical gay romance character). Strange is that, even if there is no explicit sex, there are enough innuendo and let imagine scenes, that I can say that I had my more than satisfactory quota of sex, even if it's not described in full details.
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/currenttitles/tigersanddevils/tigersanddevilsbuynow.htm
Amazon Kindle: Tigers and Devils
Amazon: Tigers and Devils
Sean Kennedy's In the Spotlight post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1234416.html
Reading List:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle