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A review by finitha
The First Man by Alex Kelly, A.S. Kelly
4.0
I have mixed feelings on this one. Since the story doesn't take place in the 16th or 18th century or in a brutal society that looks down on homosexuality with hostility, I still can't fathom what all this fuss is about. Couldn't they really confess their love and get it over with? Well, nothing is as simple as that. Inner demons are always the worst.
Shane and Andy have been in a secret relationship for seventeen years now, emphasis on the 'secret' here. Since it is a closely-knit community, keeping it hidden means, it is more or less an emotional, non-touchy relationship. Why can't they come out of the closet? Several reasons: Andy's family is not well-liked and he may lose customers from his pub. Shane, on the other hand, is from a wealthy background and is not sure about his family's reaction to this piece of news. Then there is the fact that it all started when one is a minor. Even though it is the said minor who initiated everything, will anyone really believe it? So you see, it is not easy even in this century.
Told from the perspectives of both protagonists, we get to see the agonies and frustrations they undergo and our first reservations on them slowly fade to a sense of pathos. It does end happily but the reality this story addresses can never be forgotten.
Shane and Andy have been in a secret relationship for seventeen years now, emphasis on the 'secret' here. Since it is a closely-knit community, keeping it hidden means, it is more or less an emotional, non-touchy relationship. Why can't they come out of the closet? Several reasons: Andy's family is not well-liked and he may lose customers from his pub. Shane, on the other hand, is from a wealthy background and is not sure about his family's reaction to this piece of news. Then there is the fact that it all started when one is a minor. Even though it is the said minor who initiated everything, will anyone really believe it? So you see, it is not easy even in this century.
Told from the perspectives of both protagonists, we get to see the agonies and frustrations they undergo and our first reservations on them slowly fade to a sense of pathos. It does end happily but the reality this story addresses can never be forgotten.