'Beware of ex-lovers with quills', warns the preface of Elliot Bernard's new novel Je Louse. Blaise spent six torrid years with the world-famous novelist, but left him for Woodrow. Now it would seem that Elliot Bernard lives happily with another man in New York. But could the author be seeking revenge upon his previous lover in his latest 'roman à clef'? Blaise feels compelled to read the book -- however painful it may prove to be -- and his jealous lover doesn't like it one bit, no sir-ee. But neither Blaise nor Woodrow know what lies in store for them. Sometimes books can change your life forever; some can even blow your mind. Je Louse is going to do a nice job of both.

Blurb:

As Rose Elliot sits in a Sydney apartment, the home of a scandalous author who happens to be her son, she contemplates the release of his autobiography, fearful of what it may reveal. She has never quite fathomed why the Lord blessed her with a son like Berni. A boy full of surprises -- and so many of them painful.

But Rose is not the only one to feel the sharp prick of Quill. The wounded are many, as Blaise discovered to his cost several years ago when Je Louse was published, bearing its prescient warning 'Beware of ex lovers with quills'. Some things are better left unsaid, but what joy is there in knowing without saying? Is discretion truly the better part of valour?

"Once the feathers start to fly, no-one's secrets are safe."

My Thoughts:

This book was one I picked up on an impulse the last time I was in Borders. It sat for some time in my TBR pile before I got sick of something else I was reading and decided to pick this up instead.

It is an interesting book with some very well drawn characters and relationships contained within the pages. Interesting, though is about as high a mark as I am willing to give it.

Blaise, Berni and Woodrow tend to rub against each other with a snideness which I found a little bit overdone at times and it really didn't do much for me. Whether or not this is a true representation of gay men in Australia, I don't really know, but it seemed a little stilted and contrived at times.

The first half of the book deals with Berni's ex-partner, Blaise and his new partner Woodrow (Woodie) and the impact that Berni's tell all novel Je Louse has on them and their relationship. The characters in the novel are very thinly disguised representations of Blaise and Woodie and the story is, in fact, a retelling of the relationship breakdown between Blaise and Bernie some years before.

Blaise reads the novel despite Woodrow's insistance that he not read it (while Woodrow himself is reading it, on the sly).

I found the excerpts of Je Louse which are interspersed throughout Drinnan's narrative, actually more interesting than the main storyline.

By the time he's finished reading the novel, Blaise has been rather unsubtly seduced and when Berni turns up back in Sydney it is inevitable that Blaise will break of his already floundering relationship with Woodie and go back to Berni.

The second half of the novel deals with the reflections of Rose Elliot, Berni's mother as she thinks back over her son's life and career and contemplates the release of his autobiography.

Rose is elderly, and for most of the time, she is drunk, distracted and her thoughts ramble. This, unfortunately, means that the story also rambles and I had the feeling many times that the author was trying to pad his wordcount.

Again, Berni's narrative from the autobiography sprinkled amongst Drinnan's story, is actually the more interesting storyline.

I wanted to like this book, and I persevered with it till the end in the hope that it would rise above interesting, but it never quite made it.

I can't say that I enjoyed it. Others may get different results. ( )

Wunderbar. ( )