Status
Call number
Collection
Publication
Description
Now. Christopher Metcalfe returns to his family home in Kent after the death of his father. Sorting through a box of memorabilia from his days at public school, Chris is suddenly confronted by the face that has haunted him for thirty years. Then, as a callow fifth former enduring the excesses of a school system designed to run an Empire that no longer existed, a most extraordinary thing happened amid the thrashings, and cross-country runs: he was seduced by Stephen Walker, a prefect two years his senior with whom he went on to share a brief but intensely passionate affair. Now, again, alone, approaching the age of fifty, Christopher is painfully aware of the price he paid for letting go, and resolves to find Stephen, and discover what became of the only person he has ever loved. Delicately revealing the layers of both past and present as it alternates between now and then.William Corlett's moving debut novel illuminates the vacuity of Christopher's emotional life with subtle power and poignancy, exploring a multitude of themes in his exposition of his search for identity.… (more)
User reviews
Avoiding it on my shelf for a while, I eventually glanced through some of the earlier pages, and what do you know if the guy isn't actually kind of snarky and nice and not completely self pitying and angsty! And his mother's an awesome lady, kind of like him! I actually care about how their relationship is going to end up! And the tone is a little more upbeat than you would ever expect! Maybe this will not only be good, but also actually your style!
...And it was!!!! ....For the first chunk. ...And then it turned in to exactly what I thought. ^_^ (though for the record, his mother stayed cool. but the whole subplot just seemed to lose importance after a while) I'm not saying that makes it bad, of course, but... Aah, well... Rated for what it is it would probably get a 9... Rated for my appreciation of it... Oh, hell, I still can't bear to give it less than an 8. And I was VERY sad to find the author died of cancer and I imagine won't exactly have any new books coming out any time soon. T_T