Providence & Propriety

by Percy Popham

Barnaby Tibbers wants nothing more than to write his stories in peace. His parents, greatly troubled by his apparent lack of true ambition, believe marriage will be just the thing to spur him toward becoming a respectable gentleman. But when Mr. and Mrs. Tibbers endeavor to fix a marriage between their son and the rich, beautiful Isabel De La Rosa, Barnaby finds himself frightfully captivated by her older brother, Joaquin.

A serendipitous accident forces Barnaby and Joaquin to take their acquaintance further, and they discover that, although they are dissimilar in so many ways, they share a foundational to love and to be loved in their own way.

But society has no place or patience for men like them. As the pressure to offer a marriage proposal to Isabel builds, Barnaby and Joaquin will have to defy providence and propriety or submit to its dictates.

(This book contains mature themes, including strong sexual content.)

83 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2023

About the author

Percy Popham is the contrived nom de plume for a gay man who wants to write for an audience without his mother finding out about it. He has written many things, most of which are unfinished, and many of which are terrible. When he is not failing at amateur stand-up comedy events or driving around listlessly in tears, he can often be found eulogizing his lost loves to an unwilling listener. He lives, for better or worse, in the United States. You can find him @PercyPopham on Twitter and Instagram.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

WELL!!! What book… very good. Very gay.

[Sergio Cerda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela corta que juega con la tensión entre la rigidez social y los impulsos más íntimos de sus personajes. El autor usa de una manera muy inteligente el lenguaje para transportarnos a una época donde existía un formalismo social lleno de recato.

Lo más atractivo del texto son los relatos spicy que Popham introduce con calculada precisión. Lejos de ser meros ornamentos eróticos, estas escenas están construidas con un lenguaje elegante y sugestivo, sin perder un tono literario cuidado. Funcionan como catalizadores de la trama: permiten comprender que lo reprimido, lo prohibido, es también lo que otorga vitalidad a los personajes y los confronta.

La brevedad de la novela le da ritmo, aunque en ocasiones se percibe que pudo haberse desarrollado con mayor profundidad, dejando al lector con la sensación de que la novela daba para más.

Una lectura provocadora y entretenida, con momentos de genuino ingenio narrativo. La obra logra equilibrar lo literario con lo atrevido, invitando al lector a reflexionar sobre cómo las convenciones sociales se quiebran precisamente en el terreno del deseo.