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Shortcomings
It's easy to get distracted on the journey to self-discovery. We all come with our own baggage and it's impossible to predict how other people's damage will affect our story. Darryl Stephens' first novel follows a group of young men whose lives intersect around the notion that sex is just another means to an end in the ultimate quest for love and companionship. They turn to dive bars, drug habits, pop music and pornography to cope with the loneliness they suffer when they find their emotional well-being dependent on the support and understanding of other men. SHORTCOMINGS is a provocative and compelling glimpse into those intensely personal moments when men come together and allow fear to finally give way to love.
338 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2015
A compelling exploration of how gay men can be driven to hurt themselves and the ones they love.
Stephens has created an endearing gallery of characters and he relates their vicissitudes with talent but the structure of the book is its great failing.
Seeing in the acknowledgments at the end of the book that this is in fact a collection of short stories woven together, confirmed what I had been suspecting while reading the book.
Some discrete passages felt as if they didn't really belong to the book, even if they are lovely to read on their own (how the young fans of Jamie's met, or Mike and Greg's encounter, for example). Some elements were much stronger than the rest and felt more delicately crafted than, for example, the later parts of the book, which felt rushed and like mere exposition, and were ultimately not satisfying.
In my view, we have two books melded into one here, each incapable of bringing insight into the other because not really meant to, despite some similar themes. Having those separate stories expanded and made to stand alone would have made them much stronger and revealing than they are now, I think.
On one side we should have had the story of Danny and Colin. The first part of the book, which is also the longest, is dedicated to them and it feel like the book will be about them but they sadly mostly fade into the background for the rest of the book and we are never really satisfactorily told how they deal with the consequences of their decisions. Using the story of Nando and Paul as a pendant piece to that of D and C, Stephens could have used one to illuminate the other, drawing on the obvious parallels and highlighting the differences.
On the other side, the story of Rafa and Jamie, how they relate to each other and to other people, could have created a book in the vein of Tales of the City.
Despite its shortcomings(!), the book remains hugely enjoyable to read and the vivid characters are likely to stay with you long after you've closed the book for the last time.
Stephens has created an endearing gallery of characters and he relates their vicissitudes with talent but the structure of the book is its great failing.
Seeing in the acknowledgments at the end of the book that this is in fact a collection of short stories woven together, confirmed what I had been suspecting while reading the book.
Some discrete passages felt as if they didn't really belong to the book, even if they are lovely to read on their own (how the young fans of Jamie's met, or Mike and Greg's encounter, for example). Some elements were much stronger than the rest and felt more delicately crafted than, for example, the later parts of the book, which felt rushed and like mere exposition, and were ultimately not satisfying.
In my view, we have two books melded into one here, each incapable of bringing insight into the other because not really meant to, despite some similar themes. Having those separate stories expanded and made to stand alone would have made them much stronger and revealing than they are now, I think.
On one side we should have had the story of Danny and Colin. The first part of the book, which is also the longest, is dedicated to them and it feel like the book will be about them but they sadly mostly fade into the background for the rest of the book and we are never really satisfactorily told how they deal with the consequences of their decisions. Using the story of Nando and Paul as a pendant piece to that of D and C, Stephens could have used one to illuminate the other, drawing on the obvious parallels and highlighting the differences.
On the other side, the story of Rafa and Jamie, how they relate to each other and to other people, could have created a book in the vein of Tales of the City.
Despite its shortcomings(!), the book remains hugely enjoyable to read and the vivid characters are likely to stay with you long after you've closed the book for the last time.
April 17, 2015
This is a really good book. It did seem disjointed in some ways, like I was reading a collection of stories. I was a bit confused about the flow of the book when reading it. Turns out Darryl states that this was a collection of stories put together, that explains it. I think Darryl is a good writer. I hope he does more stuff in the future.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews