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The In-Between
'It's been a long time since I've been on a date,' he says, pocketing his own phone. 'Please ignore anything I say for at least the first ten minutes.'
Ivan's laugh is loud, delighted. 'I know, mate, I'm bloody terrified.'
Two middle-aged men meet on an internet date. Each has been scarred by a previous relationship; each has his own compelling reasons for giving up on the idea of finding love.
But still they both turn up for the dinner, feel the spark and the possibility of something more. How can they take the risk of falling in love again. How can they not?
A tender, affecting novel of love, of hope, of forgiveness by one of today's most fearless and truthful interpreters of the human heart, the acclaimed bestselling author of The Slap and Damascus.
Ivan's laugh is loud, delighted. 'I know, mate, I'm bloody terrified.'
Two middle-aged men meet on an internet date. Each has been scarred by a previous relationship; each has his own compelling reasons for giving up on the idea of finding love.
But still they both turn up for the dinner, feel the spark and the possibility of something more. How can they take the risk of falling in love again. How can they not?
A tender, affecting novel of love, of hope, of forgiveness by one of today's most fearless and truthful interpreters of the human heart, the acclaimed bestselling author of The Slap and Damascus.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2023
134 people are currently reading
1846 people want to read
About the author
Christos Tsiolkas
38 books985 followersChristos Tsiolkas is the author of nine novels: Loaded, which was made into the feature film Head-On, The Jesus Man and Dead Europe,which won the 2006 Age Fiction Prize and the 2006 Melbourne Best Writing Award. He won Overall Best Book in the Commonwealth Writers' Prize 2009, was shortlisted for the 2009 Miles Franklin Literary Award, long listed for the 2010 Man Booker Prize and won the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal for The Slap, which was also announced as the 2009 Australian Booksellers Association and Australian Book Industry Awards Books of the Year.
Barracuda is his fifth novel. Merciless Gods (2014) and Damascus (2019) followed.
He is also a playwright, essayist and screen writer. He lives in Melbourne.
Barracuda is his fifth novel. Merciless Gods (2014) and Damascus (2019) followed.
He is also a playwright, essayist and screen writer. He lives in Melbourne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews
April 23, 2024
3.25 ⭐️ — A very well written novel, that may have some pretentiousness in parts, but is overall, every bit a literary experience that is clearly written by a Writer whom knows their own voice almost too well. Tsiolkas is a truly talented Australian Literary Fiction writer that is building one of the most vaunted CV’s of all modern Aussie writers with another solid effort here. It definitely could’ve been a real gem of a read this one, but I felt as though it laboured a little in parts, especially through the middle, and played it a little safe. A great read though!
In Christos Tsiolkas’s latest literary endeavour, "The In-Between", one finds themselves diving into a narrative as deep & turbulent as the Aegean, yet occasionally as perplexing as a labyrinth without a Minotaur. Tsiolkas, who has consistently wielded his pen like a sculptor chiseling raw marble, somewhat fumbles here, leaving us with a protagonist as cracked and fissured as an ancient fresco.
The novel revolves around the life of Manny, a middle-aged man wrestling with the spectral chains of his dual heritage, Greek and Australian, and his bisexuality, entangled amidst the fading light of his mother’s life. The premise promises a rich tapestry of internal conflict and cultural examination, yet it sprawls often into meandering byways that lead, regrettably, more often to confusion than to climax.
Tsiolkas’s prose, usually as sharp as a butcher’s cleaver, here sometimes dulls to the bluntness of a spoon. One can appreciate his intent to carve out the in-betweens of identity, the grey areas of human sexuality and the diasporic dualities. However, the execution is akin to a gymnast attempting a quadruple backflip but only managing a double; the ambition is commendable but the outcome is underwhelming.
Yet, "The In-Between" is not without its lustrous threads that cut-through the underwhelming with a sharp foray or jab to the jugular. The dialogues, when they shine, do so brilliantly, reflecting Tsiolkas’s uncanny ear for the vernacular. These are moments where characters leap off the page, sweating, swearing, living, breathing. Manny’s relationship with his mother is drawn with such visceral lines that one cannot help but feel the pull of the umbilical cord that tethers them. Here Tsiolkas excels, in the intimate portrayals of complex familial love tangled with obligation, resentment, and loss.
The setting in this novel of what is very much an effort of all things contemporary fiction, oscillates between the sun-beaten streets of Melbourne and the shadowed memories of Greece, and it is here that Tsiolkas plants the seeds of his most poignant imagery. His portrayal of my Melbourne is palpable, a city pulsing with the beats of myriad hearts it houses. Yet, the transitions between locales are sometimes jarring, pulling the reader from immersion as surely as a misstep on a cobblestone street.
Critics of Tsiolkas will find familiar ground here in his exploration of the explicit. "The In-Between" wades through the waters of sexual exploration and existential angst with the subtlety of a sledgehammer cracking open a pomegranate. For aficionados of his more graphic narrations, this will be a feast. However, for those hoping for a more nuanced exploration of Manny’s in-betweenness, the overt may overshadow the covert, the spoken drown out the silent.
In all, this is a novel that, like its protagonist, exists within a limbo of both realisation & potential. Tsiolkas fans may embrace it as a bold, if not quite entirely coherent, sketch of man’s search for identity in a dissonant chorus of cultural voices. Others might find it an overambitious symphony, where the melody is lost amidst the cacophony of trying to be too many things at once.
It’s a three-and-a-quarter star journey through a narrative purgatory, where the lights are indeed very bright, but the path is occasionally, just a little bit too dim. Would I recommend boarding this train? Yes, but perhaps keep the timetable handy, for you might find yourself wishing…
PS: In a past life, this would’ve been a 4⭐️ novel, but the level of modern Literature, along with my current focus on the Classics, has meant the ratings right now are at a all-new premium, a good thing me so thinks 🤔
In Christos Tsiolkas’s latest literary endeavour, "The In-Between", one finds themselves diving into a narrative as deep & turbulent as the Aegean, yet occasionally as perplexing as a labyrinth without a Minotaur. Tsiolkas, who has consistently wielded his pen like a sculptor chiseling raw marble, somewhat fumbles here, leaving us with a protagonist as cracked and fissured as an ancient fresco.
The novel revolves around the life of Manny, a middle-aged man wrestling with the spectral chains of his dual heritage, Greek and Australian, and his bisexuality, entangled amidst the fading light of his mother’s life. The premise promises a rich tapestry of internal conflict and cultural examination, yet it sprawls often into meandering byways that lead, regrettably, more often to confusion than to climax.
Tsiolkas’s prose, usually as sharp as a butcher’s cleaver, here sometimes dulls to the bluntness of a spoon. One can appreciate his intent to carve out the in-betweens of identity, the grey areas of human sexuality and the diasporic dualities. However, the execution is akin to a gymnast attempting a quadruple backflip but only managing a double; the ambition is commendable but the outcome is underwhelming.
Yet, "The In-Between" is not without its lustrous threads that cut-through the underwhelming with a sharp foray or jab to the jugular. The dialogues, when they shine, do so brilliantly, reflecting Tsiolkas’s uncanny ear for the vernacular. These are moments where characters leap off the page, sweating, swearing, living, breathing. Manny’s relationship with his mother is drawn with such visceral lines that one cannot help but feel the pull of the umbilical cord that tethers them. Here Tsiolkas excels, in the intimate portrayals of complex familial love tangled with obligation, resentment, and loss.
The setting in this novel of what is very much an effort of all things contemporary fiction, oscillates between the sun-beaten streets of Melbourne and the shadowed memories of Greece, and it is here that Tsiolkas plants the seeds of his most poignant imagery. His portrayal of my Melbourne is palpable, a city pulsing with the beats of myriad hearts it houses. Yet, the transitions between locales are sometimes jarring, pulling the reader from immersion as surely as a misstep on a cobblestone street.
Critics of Tsiolkas will find familiar ground here in his exploration of the explicit. "The In-Between" wades through the waters of sexual exploration and existential angst with the subtlety of a sledgehammer cracking open a pomegranate. For aficionados of his more graphic narrations, this will be a feast. However, for those hoping for a more nuanced exploration of Manny’s in-betweenness, the overt may overshadow the covert, the spoken drown out the silent.
In all, this is a novel that, like its protagonist, exists within a limbo of both realisation & potential. Tsiolkas fans may embrace it as a bold, if not quite entirely coherent, sketch of man’s search for identity in a dissonant chorus of cultural voices. Others might find it an overambitious symphony, where the melody is lost amidst the cacophony of trying to be too many things at once.
It’s a three-and-a-quarter star journey through a narrative purgatory, where the lights are indeed very bright, but the path is occasionally, just a little bit too dim. Would I recommend boarding this train? Yes, but perhaps keep the timetable handy, for you might find yourself wishing…
PS: In a past life, this would’ve been a 4⭐️ novel, but the level of modern Literature, along with my current focus on the Classics, has meant the ratings right now are at a all-new premium, a good thing me so thinks 🤔
December 2, 2023
A credible/realistic depiction of two later-aged men finding their way toward each other from different yet similar broken pasts. Nothing worthwhile comes easy and the struggles/secrets each MC try to/have to overcome made me cheer their efforts. I'm in awe at how the author can somehow make casual dinner conversations bristle with suppressed rage and violence. The final chapter makes an abrupt POV change - which was disconcerting at first since I struggled to place the narrating character - but things eventually fell into place, leading to a deeper appreciation of what it means to love another. 4.5 stars.
December 11, 2023
I loved the journey and exploration of love. The final third of the book made it for me. I struggled with some of the explicit scenes and found them too sensory and long - out of my comfort zone there for sure. Christos is a brilliant writer and speaker and he doesn’t shy from challenging his readers. It is the depth of his humanity that shines.
December 6, 2023
I can never quite decide whether I enjoy Tsiolkas. I think he's a superb storyteller, that's without question. And I genuinely loved Loaded. But there's something about his writing that I find jarring sometimes. It might be his penchant for telling rather than showing, or when he tells first and then shows as an almost-afterthought. Which isn't to say that I think he can't write, it's more that for me, that style takes me out of the story sometimes. Again, there's no question that he is a fantastic novelist.
For me, the enduring takeaway from this novel is that of the complexity of being queer. Especially of the generations before Zoomers; the queer Boomers, Gen Xers, and to an extent even my generation, the much-maligned Millenials. The self loathing, the internalised homophobia, the feeling of being less-than and having to sequester a part of your identity for fear of judgement. The revulsion at your own gaze. It's difficult. And this isn't to say that Gen Z doesn't have its own struggles; we aren't at parity yet. But we are undoubtedly far removed from the days you would fight someone for suggesting you like boys if you're a boy. Or at least I think we are? Are we? Am I being naïve and optimistic?
And yet, in among this Tsiolkas also raises the beauty and masculinity of queer - specifically gay - love. It is writ large in his prose the adoration he holds for a man's body, the joy he finds in the flesh, the carnality of it all. The scents, the weight, the baseness. He illustrates beautifully how lust treads the borders between divine and profane. Tender and primal. Light and shade. It is joyous, there is no other word.
I have my issues with The In-Between, probably most specifically Chapter/Part 5. But overall I think it is a very authentic representation of life for queer men of a specific age and background, and I am appreciative of that. It's an important voice to be heard in the choir.
For me, the enduring takeaway from this novel is that of the complexity of being queer. Especially of the generations before Zoomers; the queer Boomers, Gen Xers, and to an extent even my generation, the much-maligned Millenials. The self loathing, the internalised homophobia, the feeling of being less-than and having to sequester a part of your identity for fear of judgement. The revulsion at your own gaze. It's difficult. And this isn't to say that Gen Z doesn't have its own struggles; we aren't at parity yet. But we are undoubtedly far removed from the days you would fight someone for suggesting you like boys if you're a boy. Or at least I think we are? Are we? Am I being naïve and optimistic?
And yet, in among this Tsiolkas also raises the beauty and masculinity of queer - specifically gay - love. It is writ large in his prose the adoration he holds for a man's body, the joy he finds in the flesh, the carnality of it all. The scents, the weight, the baseness. He illustrates beautifully how lust treads the borders between divine and profane. Tender and primal. Light and shade. It is joyous, there is no other word.
I have my issues with The In-Between, probably most specifically Chapter/Part 5. But overall I think it is a very authentic representation of life for queer men of a specific age and background, and I am appreciative of that. It's an important voice to be heard in the choir.
November 23, 2025
for most of this novel, i really enjoyed it. it wasn't always easy, but it was good. sadly it lost me abit with the shift it took (location, main narrator, and more) in the last chapter, losing my interest and a star along the way 😕
❗ spoilers beyond ❗
what i liked:
❤ it's a story about older gay men finding love 🙂 i enjoyed the way their ages are acknowledged and explored, how this impacts them physically awa emotionally, and informs their outlooks and priorities. also i appreciated the recognition of how growing up LGBTQI during a time where there was alot more antagonism and violence, will have shaped some of how these men express their sexuality, in private awa in public.
🧡 many of the characters are from im/migrant (to Australia) backgrounds, and are mostly second generation. i like the experience of being Australian they describe, the nuances, at times straddling (and melding?) different cultures. it felt rich in this respect - as well as the two main characters, some of their friends, colleagues and employers are also from migrant backgrounds, tho as often different ones as similar ones, presenting quite a diversity of experience.
💛 i found the explorations of relationships, in their different forms, and different pairings interesting. i liked that Ivan was still an active father, grandfather and ex-husband (despite the difficulties there), that these things weren't erased by his homosexuality. similarly I liked that both Ivan and Perry still carried the impacts of previous relationships, and these were openly acknowledged and not glossed over either.
💙 i thought the novel explored some aspects of masculinity and violence interestingly and well. there was alot about gender from differing perspectives. there were comments on culturally specific aspects of masculinity/masculine socialisation.
BUT
😕 the last chapter lost my interest, and kinda brought it down for me - it was just abit too at odds with the rest of the novel. and too different maybe too - everything else had been narrated in/from Australia, and other characters had been brief interludes. too sudden and too much of Lena and Gerard suddenly.
😕 the novel was noticeably repetitive, both in some descriptions, and in language.
especially words like stink, reek, musky, tang. the words and descriptions coupled created a heavy sense of recurrent repetition 😕
🌟 🌟 🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Lex Marinos.
❗ spoilers beyond ❗
what i liked:
❤ it's a story about older gay men finding love 🙂 i enjoyed the way their ages are acknowledged and explored, how this impacts them physically awa emotionally, and informs their outlooks and priorities. also i appreciated the recognition of how growing up LGBTQI during a time where there was alot more antagonism and violence, will have shaped some of how these men express their sexuality, in private awa in public.
🧡 many of the characters are from im/migrant (to Australia) backgrounds, and are mostly second generation. i like the experience of being Australian they describe, the nuances, at times straddling (and melding?) different cultures. it felt rich in this respect - as well as the two main characters, some of their friends, colleagues and employers are also from migrant backgrounds, tho as often different ones as similar ones, presenting quite a diversity of experience.
💛 i found the explorations of relationships, in their different forms, and different pairings interesting. i liked that Ivan was still an active father, grandfather and ex-husband (despite the difficulties there), that these things weren't erased by his homosexuality. similarly I liked that both Ivan and Perry still carried the impacts of previous relationships, and these were openly acknowledged and not glossed over either.
💙 i thought the novel explored some aspects of masculinity and violence interestingly and well. there was alot about gender from differing perspectives. there were comments on culturally specific aspects of masculinity/masculine socialisation.
BUT
😕 the last chapter lost my interest, and kinda brought it down for me - it was just abit too at odds with the rest of the novel. and too different maybe too - everything else had been narrated in/from Australia, and other characters had been brief interludes. too sudden and too much of Lena and Gerard suddenly.
😕 the novel was noticeably repetitive, both in some descriptions, and in language.
especially words like stink, reek, musky, tang. the words and descriptions coupled created a heavy sense of recurrent repetition 😕
🌟 🌟 🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Lex Marinos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2024
The mastery of Tsiolkas to portray intimacy with words is out of this world. This book is full of ordinary moments that become a window into the lives of the couple in this story. True to Tsiolka’s style, there’s a rawness in the story and the way these characters interact with their sexuality and past relationships. The book is beautifully written and a perfect illustration of the human condition and love experiences in the third age of people
December 14, 2023
I really don't know why I keep attempting to read this author! Feel like his mission is to make every character as unlikeable as possible, and to give as many different accounts of men urinating as possible. I got half way through the dinner party scene and had the thought that if this was actually a dinner party I was attending, I think I'd be bored enough of the sniping and tension that I would have left. Also felt a bit meandering, without a strong sense of mysteries to be uncovered or problems to be solved. I'm sure this might light the fire of some people, but it just doesn't do it for me. Was glad to be rid of the whole lot of them when I finished!
November 1, 2023
Thank you Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review.
An interesting and relevant queer inspired premise piqued my interest.
Finding love in your fifties where technology is cut throat, body and age are main factors and where historical emotional baggage is still rife is a reality lived by many.
A journey I was invested in.
Perry meets Ivan from an online site.
They click despite obvious differences.
Refreshingly feelings develop and hope in finding love is restored.
Both have lived life, been scarred and been in love and seem to be ready for a new chapter.
A journey that is full of discovery, meeting friends and family and confronting personal issues.
In parts this lacked cohesion and seemed disjointed.
It is divided in parts so probably very deliberate.
The author really has talent for capturing snapshots from obscure observations that occur around us all the time including interactions people have with each other.
The characters were not likeable.
Conversations and aspersions seemed like this age group were superficial and happy to dismiss their home country at any opportunity.
The idea the country their forebears left is a better prospect is something that doesn’t hold my interest.
Expensive clothes and career snobbery is not either.
Not my cup of tea.
An interesting and relevant queer inspired premise piqued my interest.
Finding love in your fifties where technology is cut throat, body and age are main factors and where historical emotional baggage is still rife is a reality lived by many.
A journey I was invested in.
Perry meets Ivan from an online site.
They click despite obvious differences.
Refreshingly feelings develop and hope in finding love is restored.
Both have lived life, been scarred and been in love and seem to be ready for a new chapter.
A journey that is full of discovery, meeting friends and family and confronting personal issues.
In parts this lacked cohesion and seemed disjointed.
It is divided in parts so probably very deliberate.
The author really has talent for capturing snapshots from obscure observations that occur around us all the time including interactions people have with each other.
The characters were not likeable.
Conversations and aspersions seemed like this age group were superficial and happy to dismiss their home country at any opportunity.
The idea the country their forebears left is a better prospect is something that doesn’t hold my interest.
Expensive clothes and career snobbery is not either.
Not my cup of tea.
July 12, 2024
A slow paced tale of dating, love, and the evolution of a relationship.
Ivan and Perry have both loved and lost, and now it's time to bite the bullet and see what the future holds.
Beautifully written, sad and moving yet always hopeful.
Ivan and Perry have both loved and lost, and now it's time to bite the bullet and see what the future holds.
Beautifully written, sad and moving yet always hopeful.
March 29, 2024
Wise and intimate with a keen sense of smell.
December 28, 2024
While I am a big fan of Tsiolkas' work, this wasn't my absolute favourite, however it is still pretty darned good.
A theme that is poorly explored in the gay literature is the older single gay man and dating. For all older single people looking for a relationship, there is emotional baggage, as well as potential children. It is difficult terrain as age can create insecurity in self worth and attraction.
Two men meet on a dating site and we are introduced to the 1st date. It is both painfully awkward and hilarious, and honest. The honesty throughout the novel is something that I both enjoyed and liked how Tsiolkas developed.
Both men are from different cultural, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds. The narrative is how this relationship develops through the years. For me, the dinner party scene was the most excruciating I have ever read, and just highlights the writing ability of this man.
The mature men have secrets that they withhold from each other - we learn about them ling before the other character does, so we are primed for the fallout, but never is the outcome obvious.
The title was a difficult one to understand, and it wasn't until the Greek chapter that it made sense, and that it had been apparent from the start.
The chief characters are well fleshed, although those in the dinner party scene are more Melbourne tropes personified. As is typical, there is a lot of social commentary on contemporary Australian/Melbourne society that Tsiolkas is famous for, and who is excellent at dividing his readership.
I am thrilled that Tsiolkas decided to approach the subject of the older gay man and their negotiations through a social media driven society. He does it well, and he engages with his reader.
A theme that is poorly explored in the gay literature is the older single gay man and dating. For all older single people looking for a relationship, there is emotional baggage, as well as potential children. It is difficult terrain as age can create insecurity in self worth and attraction.
Two men meet on a dating site and we are introduced to the 1st date. It is both painfully awkward and hilarious, and honest. The honesty throughout the novel is something that I both enjoyed and liked how Tsiolkas developed.
Both men are from different cultural, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds. The narrative is how this relationship develops through the years. For me, the dinner party scene was the most excruciating I have ever read, and just highlights the writing ability of this man.
The mature men have secrets that they withhold from each other - we learn about them ling before the other character does, so we are primed for the fallout, but never is the outcome obvious.
The title was a difficult one to understand, and it wasn't until the Greek chapter that it made sense, and that it had been apparent from the start.
The chief characters are well fleshed, although those in the dinner party scene are more Melbourne tropes personified. As is typical, there is a lot of social commentary on contemporary Australian/Melbourne society that Tsiolkas is famous for, and who is excellent at dividing his readership.
I am thrilled that Tsiolkas decided to approach the subject of the older gay man and their negotiations through a social media driven society. He does it well, and he engages with his reader.
January 7, 2024
A beautiful and honest love story of two men who meet each other in their 50s and open themselves up to the vulnerability that comes with love. It’s a wonderful exploration of the matters beyond romantic love: how do you trust again when you’ve been so hurt in the past? How do you navigate your friendships and families while introducing someone new? How do you combine your lives, overlook past wrongs, negotiate fidelity? There’s so much more to this than a simple love story, and it makes it a wonderful read.
In typical Tsiolkas style there’s a lot of sensual stuff particularly around smells. There are vignettes of other people, sometimes strangers, observing the couple, which are interesting additions. I would have given this 5 stars but felt the last two chapters (the last one in particular) dragged on a bit. Up until that point I thought this was magnificent.
In typical Tsiolkas style there’s a lot of sensual stuff particularly around smells. There are vignettes of other people, sometimes strangers, observing the couple, which are interesting additions. I would have given this 5 stars but felt the last two chapters (the last one in particular) dragged on a bit. Up until that point I thought this was magnificent.
January 31, 2024
Tsiolkas made me want to go back to Athens, which may very well happen this April. I love how the whole city smells of orange blossoms in the spring. As for the novel, I appreciated the change of perspectives with the introduction of adjacent and completely unrelated characters who happen to be in the vicinity of either Pericles or Ivan. It made for a nice rhythm. The novel also made me smile because Tsiolkas captured something of Belgrade in Ivan's description of the city as "parts of it were dirty and parts of it didn't work and everyone is on the move". All in all, the novel's not a bad company to spend an afternoon or two with, but it's too narratively tidy, without much of a flourish. I like my literature more aesthetically and politically daring.
November 20, 2023
Tsiolkas writes characters and their emotions beautifully. This novel details the relationship that grows between Ivan and Perry, two middle-aged men coming to terms with their pasts.
There are explicit sex scenes in the book- something that is rarely included nowadays.
The story became a little disjointed for me in the last third, however. New characters were introduced and the novel began to feel more like a series of vignettes.
There are explicit sex scenes in the book- something that is rarely included nowadays.
The story became a little disjointed for me in the last third, however. New characters were introduced and the novel began to feel more like a series of vignettes.
March 16, 2024
3.5 rounded down
As with other books by Tsiolkas there is much to admire here. He is a wonderful observer of relationships, of human nature, migrant communities, Melbourne and its suburbs, and so much more. This love story, between two 50 plus men, is no exception. The opening, when we first met the two men, is simply told and captured me from page one. However, from then on the reader is made to work, to keep pace with the shifting scenes, time frames and points of view and for me, some shifts and scenes worked better than others. Among my favorites was the dinner party which reads a little like a complete one act play and is so well observed.
"He cannot concentrate on the conversation. He has drunk too much, and it is a discussion that he finds exhausting, a circle without end, where cause and effect are entangled and where the enormity of what is at stake makes any solution seem either pitifully inadequate of a utopian impossibility."
I loved the juxtaposition of the histories and present lives of Ivan, the landscaper, and cosmopolitan Perry the translator, the later who has lived across the world in very different circumstances and circles. But unfortunately I also felt the novel dragged in places, I struggled with the hate and violence that inhabited one character in particular, and some of the sex scenes felt too much like their sole purpose was to shock the reader and that impacted negatively on other aspects of the story for me. A mixed experience but one I shall remember.
As with other books by Tsiolkas there is much to admire here. He is a wonderful observer of relationships, of human nature, migrant communities, Melbourne and its suburbs, and so much more. This love story, between two 50 plus men, is no exception. The opening, when we first met the two men, is simply told and captured me from page one. However, from then on the reader is made to work, to keep pace with the shifting scenes, time frames and points of view and for me, some shifts and scenes worked better than others. Among my favorites was the dinner party which reads a little like a complete one act play and is so well observed.
"He cannot concentrate on the conversation. He has drunk too much, and it is a discussion that he finds exhausting, a circle without end, where cause and effect are entangled and where the enormity of what is at stake makes any solution seem either pitifully inadequate of a utopian impossibility."
I loved the juxtaposition of the histories and present lives of Ivan, the landscaper, and cosmopolitan Perry the translator, the later who has lived across the world in very different circumstances and circles. But unfortunately I also felt the novel dragged in places, I struggled with the hate and violence that inhabited one character in particular, and some of the sex scenes felt too much like their sole purpose was to shock the reader and that impacted negatively on other aspects of the story for me. A mixed experience but one I shall remember.
September 11, 2023
Delicately tender and brimming with heart, this love story offers a captivating exploration of its central characters' intricate emotions. As an introvert and overthinker, I was particularly drawn to the rich portrayal of their inner thoughts. What sets this book apart is its refreshing uniqueness; it defies the conventions of typical love stories.
However, having previously read one of Tsiolkas other works, 'The Slap,' I couldn't help but notice a missing element – the dramatic tension that keeps readers yearning for more. While this narrative is character-driven and beautifully introspective, it may leave you wanting a touch more to keep you truly engrossed.
However, having previously read one of Tsiolkas other works, 'The Slap,' I couldn't help but notice a missing element – the dramatic tension that keeps readers yearning for more. While this narrative is character-driven and beautifully introspective, it may leave you wanting a touch more to keep you truly engrossed.
May 18, 2024
The writing is good but there was something unsatisfying about this novel. A skimming of the surface but... Part of the explanation seems to be a propensity of the author to tell and not show, but there's more to it than that. Maybe I need to try another Tsiolkas before I'm qualified to comment further... Unlike many reviewers, I did appreciate the raw authenticity and honesty of the sex scenes.
January 19, 2024
This would have been a 5 star book review, but the ending of the story let it down for me, there was no complete closure of the main love story, however the writing and sentiment throughout the book were wonderful.
Overall I have mixed emotions about this book.
Overall I have mixed emotions about this book.
January 2, 2024
While I have loved Tsiolkas’ previous work, I found the writing in this book to be unnecessarily vulgar and verbose - both getting in the way of what could have been a great story.
April 3, 2024
4.5 Stars!
“Only slowly did it dawn on him how that superiority and antagonism were formed from childhood in moneyed households and within elite private schools.”
You can start to get the impression that it’s merely a world revolving around constant sex, veering between repressed homosexuality and hyper-sexuality. But there is obviously a lot more going on in here, although those many graphic sex scenes are certainly not going to be to everyone’s liking, but there’s no doubting the sheer quality of the writing and his ability to really put you deep into scenes and into the heads of the characters.
“It is gossip and slander, the guerrilla tactics of undermining and sabotage, of making envy a virtue and a weapon that he detests. Bitchinesss. He hates it in women. He hates it in gay men.”
Tsiolkas makes it look almost effortless the way he creates tension and balances it with insight and texture to really put you right there in the restaurant or in the bedroom, so that you are deeply embedded in the moment, invested in the characters. The chapter set at the dinner party was nothing but pure joy from start to finish, and displayed many pleasing echoes of “Don’s Party”.
So this is another excellent piece of literary fiction from one of Australia’s best writers and I highly recommend it to one and all. Great stuff!
January 4, 2024
4.5 stars
The In-Between is a well crafted, intelligent and empathetic novel about finding love in the ‘in between stage’ of middle aged life. Perry and Ivan are two gay men in their 50s who have already experienced their fair share of love and betrayal and this time around join a dating app to escape their loneliness. Each chapter alternates point of view between the two men and focuses on small, seemingly insignificant days in their lives as a couple, from the first nervous date, to a year later at Ivan’s work, to Perry and Ivan at a combustive dinner party and so on. While this could have been too insular in the hands of a less capable author, each section shows subtle and significant shifts in their relationship and its progression. Coupled with Tsiolkas’ impressive ability at getting in his characters’ heads and trusting his reader to read ‘between’ the lines, we are treated to such a beautifully multi layered story about love, kindness, trauma, sexuality, and just, being human.
Make no mistake though, the novel isn’t some overly sentimental cry fest. Tsiolkas writes with a real raw authenticity that some readers will find confronting or just too much. There is a lot of graphic sex to be found within the pages here, but it is not intended to be titilating, it is intended to get across the physicality of love in all of its smell and taste. And boy does Tsiolkas focus on odour! Sex can be pretty sanitised in novels and media, but the senses are employed here as he describes the smells that come along with bodily fluids in detail. The effect is to equalise us with the characters, to create a stronger empathy from reader to character because witnessing such vulnerability and something usually so private facilitates this bond. It’s pretty remarkable. I felt like I knew these characters inside out.
Thematically, the book has a lot going on and I really appreciated how much space Tsoilkas gives the reader to work things out for themselves. This is definitely a book where we are shown and not told. It’s not very often we get a love story between two middle aged people, and especially not one so honest. Love at this stage of life according to the novel, can become kinder. It is still about passion, but less about perfection and possession. Middle aged bodies come with the literal baggage of age and wear and tear but also the metaphorical baggage and ghosts of past trauma, relationships, sex and life. Both Ivan and Perry wrestle internally with letting go of their past, with saying goodbye to the hope of youth, with transitioning away from friends they have outgrown, with accepting that their minds and bodies and lives have changed permanently.
These themes are layered with the experiences of being a second generation Australian, being a returned ex pat, being a gay man who experienced the 80s and of course, class differences. The dinner party in the third section was incredibly written, as Ivan, a working class landscaper with slightly more conservative views finds himself surrounded by very left wing academics who backpacked around Europe in their 20s and now want to discuss climate change and misogyny. The author uses the dinner party to underpin the very real class differences between the two lovers, not shying away from showing that Perry is genuinely nervous about how his partner is going to handle the discourse, caught between potential embarrassment at Ivan’s lack of knowledge, shame at his own snobbiness and mixed feelings about his friends’ intentions. At the same time, we see that Perry wants more than anything for Ivan to be comfortable and safe in the discussion, and it is his quiet remonstrations of support that reveal the strength of their relationship and where it is now at.
This is an amazing novel for those of us who love being in characters heads and enjoy a really honest, almost visceral look at the human condition. My only quibble is the last part of the novel, where Tsiolkas’ decision to focus on a third character took me out of the story a little. I understand the reasons behind it, and theoretically I appreciate the idea of basically slowly zooming out and away from Ivan and Perry and leaving them to their relationship. But I didn’t feel the third character was written as well or I didn’t connect as well to her, so unfortunately the last part fell slightly flat for me.
Overall, a really enjoyable novel and a great one to start the year off with.
The In-Between is a well crafted, intelligent and empathetic novel about finding love in the ‘in between stage’ of middle aged life. Perry and Ivan are two gay men in their 50s who have already experienced their fair share of love and betrayal and this time around join a dating app to escape their loneliness. Each chapter alternates point of view between the two men and focuses on small, seemingly insignificant days in their lives as a couple, from the first nervous date, to a year later at Ivan’s work, to Perry and Ivan at a combustive dinner party and so on. While this could have been too insular in the hands of a less capable author, each section shows subtle and significant shifts in their relationship and its progression. Coupled with Tsiolkas’ impressive ability at getting in his characters’ heads and trusting his reader to read ‘between’ the lines, we are treated to such a beautifully multi layered story about love, kindness, trauma, sexuality, and just, being human.
Make no mistake though, the novel isn’t some overly sentimental cry fest. Tsiolkas writes with a real raw authenticity that some readers will find confronting or just too much. There is a lot of graphic sex to be found within the pages here, but it is not intended to be titilating, it is intended to get across the physicality of love in all of its smell and taste. And boy does Tsiolkas focus on odour! Sex can be pretty sanitised in novels and media, but the senses are employed here as he describes the smells that come along with bodily fluids in detail. The effect is to equalise us with the characters, to create a stronger empathy from reader to character because witnessing such vulnerability and something usually so private facilitates this bond. It’s pretty remarkable. I felt like I knew these characters inside out.
Thematically, the book has a lot going on and I really appreciated how much space Tsoilkas gives the reader to work things out for themselves. This is definitely a book where we are shown and not told. It’s not very often we get a love story between two middle aged people, and especially not one so honest. Love at this stage of life according to the novel, can become kinder. It is still about passion, but less about perfection and possession. Middle aged bodies come with the literal baggage of age and wear and tear but also the metaphorical baggage and ghosts of past trauma, relationships, sex and life. Both Ivan and Perry wrestle internally with letting go of their past, with saying goodbye to the hope of youth, with transitioning away from friends they have outgrown, with accepting that their minds and bodies and lives have changed permanently.
These themes are layered with the experiences of being a second generation Australian, being a returned ex pat, being a gay man who experienced the 80s and of course, class differences. The dinner party in the third section was incredibly written, as Ivan, a working class landscaper with slightly more conservative views finds himself surrounded by very left wing academics who backpacked around Europe in their 20s and now want to discuss climate change and misogyny. The author uses the dinner party to underpin the very real class differences between the two lovers, not shying away from showing that Perry is genuinely nervous about how his partner is going to handle the discourse, caught between potential embarrassment at Ivan’s lack of knowledge, shame at his own snobbiness and mixed feelings about his friends’ intentions. At the same time, we see that Perry wants more than anything for Ivan to be comfortable and safe in the discussion, and it is his quiet remonstrations of support that reveal the strength of their relationship and where it is now at.
This is an amazing novel for those of us who love being in characters heads and enjoy a really honest, almost visceral look at the human condition. My only quibble is the last part of the novel, where Tsiolkas’ decision to focus on a third character took me out of the story a little. I understand the reasons behind it, and theoretically I appreciate the idea of basically slowly zooming out and away from Ivan and Perry and leaving them to their relationship. But I didn’t feel the third character was written as well or I didn’t connect as well to her, so unfortunately the last part fell slightly flat for me.
Overall, a really enjoyable novel and a great one to start the year off with.
September 16, 2024
This book made me feel like such a hypocrite and this review is just gonna mirror that sentiment.
Without getting into the whole can of worms I'm dancing around, I try to prioritize gay fiction that's written by out gay men. 1) to support my community but also 2) for a feeling of authenticity and believable characters based upon actual lived experiences that I could relate to. I'm also in favor of realistic depictions of gay sex that doesn't just treat us like sterile Ken dolls and isn't afraid to say the quiet parts out loud.
On paper, this book checks those boxes; there are no "fade to black" scenes and even if I couldn't draw direct real-world parallels to each of the characters to gay men I know personally, none of their actions felt illogical to me. But maybe this was a case where I wasn't careful with what I wished for because the descriptions were a little much for me. I'm specifically thinking about how rather unappealing descriptions of scents and smells and odors of body parts (and fluids) appear on damn near every other page. At times it felt like a focus on the worst aspects of gay life rather than a celebration of it.
Structurally I was also caught off-guard. The book is broken into only 5 massive chapters with huge time skips in between each one on the order of several months. It facilitates observing the central relationship develop quicker, yet the final chapter isn't told from the perspective of either of the two leads which felt like an odd change of gears. Still, I enjoyed seeing two men move beyond past transgressions from former lovers they both experienced and develop a bond that was unabashedly masculine. Also, there are very strong underlying themes throughout about being an immigrant in a foreign land that probably would've resonated with me much more if I were an immigrant myself, but I'd be remiss not to mention what at times felt like the actual central focus of the book.
While this may not have been the type of book I was expecting it to be or was in the mood to read, I cannot deny that it was well-written. Many parts made me uncomfortable (there's a very long politically-charged dinner party scene that jumps to mind), but always at the same points where the characters themselves were uneasy. And really it's a compliment that this book evoked emotions from me when it so easily could've failed to do so. I don't regret my time with this book, but I don't feel the need to revisit it anytime soon.
Without getting into the whole can of worms I'm dancing around, I try to prioritize gay fiction that's written by out gay men. 1) to support my community but also 2) for a feeling of authenticity and believable characters based upon actual lived experiences that I could relate to. I'm also in favor of realistic depictions of gay sex that doesn't just treat us like sterile Ken dolls and isn't afraid to say the quiet parts out loud.
On paper, this book checks those boxes; there are no "fade to black" scenes and even if I couldn't draw direct real-world parallels to each of the characters to gay men I know personally, none of their actions felt illogical to me. But maybe this was a case where I wasn't careful with what I wished for because the descriptions were a little much for me. I'm specifically thinking about how rather unappealing descriptions of scents and smells and odors of body parts (and fluids) appear on damn near every other page. At times it felt like a focus on the worst aspects of gay life rather than a celebration of it.
Structurally I was also caught off-guard. The book is broken into only 5 massive chapters with huge time skips in between each one on the order of several months. It facilitates observing the central relationship develop quicker, yet the final chapter isn't told from the perspective of either of the two leads which felt like an odd change of gears. Still, I enjoyed seeing two men move beyond past transgressions from former lovers they both experienced and develop a bond that was unabashedly masculine. Also, there are very strong underlying themes throughout about being an immigrant in a foreign land that probably would've resonated with me much more if I were an immigrant myself, but I'd be remiss not to mention what at times felt like the actual central focus of the book.
While this may not have been the type of book I was expecting it to be or was in the mood to read, I cannot deny that it was well-written. Many parts made me uncomfortable (there's a very long politically-charged dinner party scene that jumps to mind), but always at the same points where the characters themselves were uneasy. And really it's a compliment that this book evoked emotions from me when it so easily could've failed to do so. I don't regret my time with this book, but I don't feel the need to revisit it anytime soon.
November 12, 2023
I loved this book. I felt very attached to the characters, and loved the insight into their most intimate thoughts and feelings.
I loved the ending, the glimpse into Lena’s life as she glimpsed into her own father’s life as a closeted homosexual. I loved the subtle parallels the author managed to draw between Perry and Gerald, with their phrasing “she was kindness itself.”
Though I loved the sudden turn to Lena’s point of view at the end, I could not help but wonder what happened to dear Ivan and Perry? The book left me wanting more of the story. Though perhaps that was the point…
I loved the ending, the glimpse into Lena’s life as she glimpsed into her own father’s life as a closeted homosexual. I loved the subtle parallels the author managed to draw between Perry and Gerald, with their phrasing “she was kindness itself.”
Though I loved the sudden turn to Lena’s point of view at the end, I could not help but wonder what happened to dear Ivan and Perry? The book left me wanting more of the story. Though perhaps that was the point…
November 16, 2023
Took me a minute to understand where the book was going but once I did it was incred. It’s told in a number of different perspectives, each a contrasting insight into the emotional turmoil of being queer in Gen X, both as a youth and its manifestation in adulthood. Highlighting the beauty of all types of relationships, I really took to the storyline of the comfort and understated beauty of a great platonic love. I’ll never forgive the use of the words ‘pong’ in a sex scene but everything else was play on.
February 27, 2024
Ok conflicted cause like this was not a bad book by any means but I can’t say that I liked it. Like written well, characters felt fleshed out and believable and was always an engaging read……but he just makes everything so gross ugly and sad. Like sex, friendship, relationships and everything is just approached so pessimistically. Also can’t tell if the subtle misogyny of some of the characters is like a commentary or just the authors views. Anyway….idk
January 11, 2024
The In-Between is one of Tsiolkas’s more muted, tender stories. It has a strong start as Perry and Ivan meet for a first date. They are both scarred by previous relationships but find a surprising and quiet intimacy. I enjoyed their story a lot, but the book later deviates to focus on peripheral characters which I felt was a wasted opportunity. There are also some very vulgar scenes which I do not think complemented the tone of the book. I also don’t know why so many authors lean heavily on the ‘clashing political opinions at a dinner party’ trope. 3/5
March 25, 2024
I will say this is a solid 1.0
I don’t think I’ve read from a man’s perspective, and I hope I never do again. The only reason this is not sitting below a 1.0 is because it switched to a woman’s pov at the end.
My mind was clean before I read this book. Im not into gay porn.
I don’t think I’ve read from a man’s perspective, and I hope I never do again. The only reason this is not sitting below a 1.0 is because it switched to a woman’s pov at the end.
My mind was clean before I read this book. Im not into gay porn.
December 10, 2023
A love story, unlike a lot of others!
Two middle-aged men meet up in Melbourne for a date after finding each other online. Both men have been injured in the past and are unsure of what they want, friendship, love, or romance.
It's a beautiful story spanning two countries and focusing on two families. Tsiolkas, as always, tells a wonderful, relatable tale.
Two middle-aged men meet up in Melbourne for a date after finding each other online. Both men have been injured in the past and are unsure of what they want, friendship, love, or romance.
It's a beautiful story spanning two countries and focusing on two families. Tsiolkas, as always, tells a wonderful, relatable tale.
March 8, 2024
A beautiful insight into the complexities of human nature.
Struggled with this initially but it picked up once I grasped his writing style.
Gorgeous !
Struggled with this initially but it picked up once I grasped his writing style.
Gorgeous !
April 30, 2025
Reaally happy to have read one of Christos' novels! I thought this novel was so tender and sweet. It made me reflect on a whole bunch of things... love, aging, family, travel & it also just made me really excited to go to Athens lol.
All around..... 4 stars.... maybe even a bit more than 4.
All around..... 4 stars.... maybe even a bit more than 4.
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