Scan barcode
A review by katie_is_dreaming
Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo
I liked this quite a bit. The voice of Barry was so realistic, and I really enjoyed his banter. He felt so real. I also thought Evaristo explored really well his fears about coming out, linking them to stories about his past, or events that he knew of.
I did feel like there should have been more unpacking of Carmel's attitude, and her intolerance of homosexuality. And on the other side of that, I also felt there should have been more acknowledgement on Barry's part of the nasty way he'd treated his wife all those years. I do think he starts to come to terms with that at the end, but Carmel's beliefs remain in tact. On the other hand, it's realistic for Carmel to continue to hold her beliefs. It's just not very tolerant, so was disappointing that she never even questioned whether she was right.
I did like the characters on the whole, though. They were very memorable, and the book was very well written. This is probably my favourite of Evaristo's books, after Girl, Woman, Other.
I did feel like there should have been more unpacking of Carmel's attitude, and her intolerance of homosexuality. And on the other side of that, I also felt there should have been more acknowledgement on Barry's part of the nasty way he'd treated his wife all those years. I do think he starts to come to terms with that at the end, but Carmel's beliefs remain in tact. On the other hand, it's realistic for Carmel to continue to hold her beliefs. It's just not very tolerant, so was disappointing that she never even questioned whether she was right.
I did like the characters on the whole, though. They were very memorable, and the book was very well written. This is probably my favourite of Evaristo's books, after Girl, Woman, Other.