In the Black Country in the 1950s, ex-boxer Norman Alonso is a determined and humble Jamaican who has moved to Britain with his wife to secure a brighter future for themselves and their children. Blighted with unexpected illness and racism, Norman and his family are resilient in the face of such hostilities, but are all too aware that they will need more than just hope to survive.
At the turn of the millennium, Jesse seeks a fresh start in London – escaping from a broken immediate family, a repressive religious community and the desolate, disempowered Black Country – but finds himself at a loss for a new centre of gravity, and turns to sex work to create new notions of love, fatherhood and spirituality.
353 pages
Paperback
Started: 23 January 2023
Finished: 01 February 2023
LGBT+ Literary Fiction
I have seen mixed reviews on this, some saying that they preferred the prologue with Norman to the rest of the actual book with Jesse but I am of the opposite opinion. I struggled to read that opening chapter, it took me three days to get through less than 50 pages but I powered through because I had high hopes for the rest of the book. I was not wrong, Jesse’s story was incredibly powerful. He was raised a Jehovah’s Witness by a family who always kept him at a distance, a mother who, try as hard as he did, he could never make proud. His family turned their backs on him when it came out he was gay and he was disfellowshipped.
When he arrives in London he tries to get a legitimate job but ends up becoming a prostitute. He finds a flat to live in with some other guys and ends up falling in love with Owen. Jesse shows us what it is like for a black man in London, how they can’t walk down the street without a woman thinking that he’s following her, or getting filthy looks from others. It truly makes you think about your behaviour. He also shows us what it is like for a gay man with a religious upbringing, and how after leaving you begin to question everything. How people you look up to and admire can be the ones to tear your life apart and not care about what happens to you after.
The ending was good, Jesse got to meet long lost family and reunited with one of his half-sisters. I wasn’t sure about Jesse and Owen’s relationship and whether I like it or not. But overall I thought it was a great read once you get past the initial chapter.
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