The Boy I Love by Marion Husband
The story is set in the aftermath of World War One. Paul Harris, still frail after shellshock, returns to his father’s home and to the arms of his secret lover, Adam. He discovers that Margot, the fiancée of his dead brother, is pregnant and marries her through a sense of loyalty. Though Adam he finds work as a schoolteacher; while setting up a home with Margot he continues to see Adam. Pat Morgan who was a sergeant in Paul’s platoon, runs a butcher’s shop in town and cares for his twin brother, Mick who lost both legs in the war. Pat yearns for the closeness he experienced with Paul in the trenches. Set in a time when homosexuality was ‘the love that dare not speak it’s name’ the story develops against the backdrop of the strict moral code of the period. Paul has to decide where his loyalty and his heart lies as all the characters search hungrily for the love and security denied them during the war. Superbly written with engaging characters that are simultaneously strong and weak, compassionate and flawed. The book is a controversial but compulsive read and readers will find their sympathies tugged in unusual directions as they engage with the lives of the characters. The Boy I Love is the first of a two book series – in the second book, based in World War 2 we following the life of Mick, now a war poet, his son and Robbie, son of Paul and Margot.The Boy I Love is a beautifully written novelThe character's lives are seamlessly woven together and all have considerable depth and complexity. Husband shows great promise with this debut novel, which offers convincing historical and moral perspectives on both war and the country's troubled relationship with homosexuality.
* The Gay Times *
Marion Husband has an MA in Creative Writing and has taught creative writing for many years for the Open University and has lectured on Creative Writing MA courses. Her bestselling Boy I Love series was awarded the Andrea Badenoch Fiction Award and The Blackwell Prize. She is married with two grown up children and lives in Norton in the Tees Valley.
SKU | Unavailable |
ISBN 13 | 9781908262721 |
ISBN 10 | 1908262729 |
Title | The Boy I Love |
Author | Marion Husband |
Series | The Boy I Love |
Condition | Unavailable |
Binding type | Paperback |
Publisher | Headline Publishing Group |
Year published | 2012-04-12 |
Number of pages | 256 |
Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
Note | Unavailable |