Knowing Women

by James Lawless

Laurence J Benbo is a thirty seven year old graphic artist and Dublin bachelor, awkward with women and lonely after the breakup with his girlfriend Deborah. He meets Jadwiga, a lapdancer and, after winning a lottery, he bestows gifts on her. But his upwardly mobile brother Maoilíosa and his scheming wife Ena, on hearing of his win, try to blackmail the innocent Laurence into handing his money over to them by alleging that he interfered with their daughter Lydia. Laurence seeks out Jadwiga for advice in her lapdancing club. To his dismay, he sees her going into a room with Maoilíosa. He spends the night awake listening to the rain pattering at his window, thinking of Deborah and he imagines little Lydia coming to seek out her uncle Lar to finish the story he had started reading to her. As the rain gets heavier he knows there is going to be a storm.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2013

About the author

James Lawless is an Irish novelist, short story writer and poet who was born in Dublin. He is an arts graduate in Spanish and Irish of University College Dublin and has an MA in Communications from Dublin City University.

Reviews

[Archit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing Women by James Lawless is an addiction! I'm serious!

A perfect kind of genre I was looking for!



Laurence J Benbo, a graphic designer by profession, a protagonist who would stay with you for the rest of your life, is someone you should definitely be involved with.

His reserved mannerism when it comes to women, is to leave you enticed. He is alone, cheated and betrayed by his previous girlfriend and trying to get over her.

But Time changes and it changes very quickly.

For him, it all began when he saw an interesting girl smiling at him. His curiosity got over him and he figured out that this girl is a lap dancer and learning English.

He makes his innocent moves. (The way he works is adorable!) and he interacts with her.

One day, he wins a lottery. All of a sudden, his jealous brother and his family knocks at his doors.
Later, they blackmail him severely to hand over the money to them. For that, they could go to any extent.

A story of betrayal, greed and morality over the edge of loneliness and grief.



You will not realize when and how you yourself were in the skin of Laurence J Benbo, being the melancholic him, the cheerful and hopeful him.

There is no way one can prevent themselves from falling for these characters.
The elegant and refined writing style won my mind over and over.

If you're wondering which genre this book falls under!

It's Accessible Literary Fiction, there you go!

The author's work is commendable and thought provoking. I remember when I was reading The Avenue, I was left contemplating about various notions in my head.

Same thing happened while I was reading this one.

My favorite scene was when Jadwiga, the Russian lap dancer says that she wants to change her yob.
Laurence corrects her that it's not yob, it's job!

I was cracking at this. Who would not?

This shows that the dialog and characters' portrayal has been done superbly. They make you stick to it completely.

The author's interview at the starting, not only provided nourishment to the story but also held my attention amply. I was musing to myself, 'Why in the world didn't I read this before!'

The author demonstrates his writing abilities in most cheerful, poised, tasteful, pensive and glittering manner. At the same time and with a different perspective, the story is sorrowful.

The blurb leaves you hanging in the middle.

As I was reading the story, I would again go to the back of the cover, read the blurb again and think to myself ' Now, this part has happened, this is the next!' and until that point arrives, I would hold my breath, when it will pass, my amusement would keep repeating this process.

Clearly, the book is to touch the skies and go beyond it. You have my high recommendation for this one!

To end an year with a book like Knowing Women, was a terrific step.

Verdict : James Lawless is a Rockstar!

Try not becoming his fan after reading this book, you will certainly fail to do so.

[J. Kahele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about 37 year old bachelor Laurence Benbo, who lives in Dublin. Is life takes a downward spiral when a breakup occurs between he and his girlfriend and becomes dreadfully lonely and desperately wants to fill that loneliness, to find a connection with another woman, but he doesn’t know how, he has always been awkward around people in general and mainly women.

After winning the lottery, he meets a lap dancer named Jadwiga and is enchanted by her. In attempt to win her comfort and possibly love, he spoils her by buying her gifts and giving her money.

His family is extremely jealous of him winning the lottery and, especially his brother and his wife Erica. They start all kinds of trouble and chaos, including excusing him of ruining their relationship with their daughter Lydia. He leans on Jadwiga for advice, hoping she can help him through this troubled time with his family. But he soon feels betrayed when he finds out that his brother is meeting with Jadwiga.
When I picked up this book I really didn’t know what to expect, by the blurb and cover I thought it was going to be a light read about a man and a stripper but thankfully it was much more. The characters were rich and relatable and my heart went out to Laurence.

[James Lawless]

A friend of mine recently tagged me in an online blogging chain called The Next Big Thing, a series of questions about writers’ next projects. The idea was to draw attention to writers and their blogs (I find my friends are more inclined to visit my Facebook page at present rather than my blog). It was then I thought of a novel that I’d been ruminating on and that I had put away in a drawer for some time. The title of the novel is Knowing Women, in the two senses of the word: how to know women and women who are knowing.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I had just reread and was quite moved by Brian Moore’s The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, about the predicament of an unmarried middleaged woman clinging to things like drink and religion to try to avoid falling off life’s tightwire. I felt a great sympathy for that character, her loneliness, her ordinariness, her vulnerability, reminding me of an old spinster aunt of mine; the real world which Judith has to endure, the other side of celebrity culture (if you’re a nobody you’re a real someone in my book), and I started wondering if I could write something similar but more contemporary (about a postcatholic and multiethnic Ireland), and thus the character Laurence J Benbo was generated: a bachelor, no longer in the glow of youth, but instead of alcohol his weakness was sex. Perhaps he is more a Herzog than a Judith, with his solipsistic and existentialist nature articulating broadly, but he shares nonetheless a common vulnerability with Moore’s creation in the loneliness of the unattached person. How does such a person fit into a world of predominant coupledom? How is he perceived by the status quo? What are his needs, sexual and spiritual (the latter he tries to satisfy in the reading of poetry). He is a product of our society. We therefore have responsibilities towards him. What are the dangers out there for him? And the more I thought the less shadowy this figure became, and I could see Benbo lifesize walking through the Botanic Gardens or the streets of Dublin with his teak handled brolly (was that instrument symbolic? Shielding him from more than the mere inclemencies of the weather?). Going to his job in PRINT 21 or his flat on the North Circular Road, his dutiful visits to his mother in her nursing home, or his Sunday visits to his brother’s family in Malahide, and at night with the loneliness descending on him, what does he get up to? Is it for us to judge him? His readers are his jury at the end; we know that as sure as the solicitor’s letter lies waiting to be opened on his table in his flat. But in the meantime let’s not think of that. After all he’s not a murderer or a paedophile (he is quick to point out); he doesn’t set out to harm anyone. So rather than be judgmental, let’s accompany him, a metropolitan, on his circumambulations through the streets of Dublin, and see where he’ll take us, affording us, as is his wont, plenty to think about along the way.
What genre does your book fall under?
Accessible literary fiction.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a move rendition?
I could see Bob Hoskins, if he could be rejuvenated a little bit and brought out of retirement, playing the part of Benbo walking along with the umbrella, his unease with women, his oddities and vulnerability.
Jadwiga , the illegal Belarusian immigrant, who works as a pole dancer I could see played by Scarlett Johansson. She has that look that could lead a guy like Benbo on and then the iciness to just as easily betray him.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A vulnerable bachelor is wrongly tainted sexually.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A little over a year for the first draft and then another year and half for the rewriting which was the sculpting that made the characters loom in all their vainglory.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
As I said earlier, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore, but also Saul Bellow’s Herzog for its existential journey.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
After the bombardment of sex scandals and recent sexual witch hunts in Ireland, I began to study the nature of sexuality, what sex does to people, how it is exploited, sold and bartered, the natural human propensity, how it’s twisted and warped by society, how it is used to conceal inadequacies in ourselves, how we categorise and slam the slightest peccadillo in a new Puritanism, propelled along as we are by the steady flow of paedophile cases. And I thought: are we losing something along the way? This is perhaps the fundamental question the novel asks. Are we flushing out the innocent baby with the dirty bath water? Look at the rise in male suicides; has it something to do with what society has done to gender roles? Males are afraid to embrace or touch one another anymore for fear of the gay tag— the slightest thing untoward provokes unease; mockery and condemnation are the safest response (funny that word ‘untoward’ crops up a lot in the novel); it becomes a branding, a person becomes tainted once rumour takes hold (damned anyway innocent or guilty, as the solicitor informs Benbo). The consequences of such behaviour prevents the emotional unfolding of people to one another, isolates the sexes from each other (how Miss U Ryan and her coterie square up to Benbo), all to the jeopardy of society, lengthening the tunnel of individual loneliness. The only safe way to live is as a stone; we are the victims of our own judgmental natures; we are afraid of our own vulnerability. That’s what I wanted to do with Benbo, to show his vulnerability. How easy it is to taint someone. What is the new man’s role? We need to get back, not necessarily to the demonstrative openness of Elizabethan ways, but to a stage at least where we can cast off the shackles of pseudo-convention, to be able to embrace and touch one another without being branded or nametagged, which is really only a form of exercising our own fear in the guise of cutting and superficial gender-based retorts. We’re the losers, all of us, male and female, in the long run. We’re denying our psyches, our sexuality, our true natures. We are afraid to be vulnerable, to be open to possibilities. We, for the most part, live in a phoney sophisticated caucus of tribal backwardness, afraid to expose the individual in ourselves; afraid to accept the uniqueness in each person; we feel threatened by difference. And not just in Ireland. Put it in any context; the work place (what Benbo endures), the North of Ireland, Moslem, Christian, we’re all tribal, always seeking conviction in numbers. We lack the courage to stand alone and therefore we are deep down envious of the loner and must stone him to death; we have convinced ourselves that he is the enemy of the people (I agree with Brecht’s ‘the strongest man in the world is the one who stands alone’). Do we forget Beckett’s reminder that life is but a brief glimmer between birth and death as we stand astride the grave? So surely the thing to do as Benbo would have it is to engage in an honesty enquiry into the nature of this place called the world for as long as one shall last, and then leave it at that; that’s the best, at least according to Benbo, that we can hope for. Without the enquiry and despite the risqué nature of purely honest speculations, we’re just a murder of crows cawing our way into oblivion. We have more multimedia channels than ever before and yet the important channel of one to one, of soul to soul, gender to gender, how rarely does that appear? (Look at the ‘reality’ TV shows which are sprouting up all over the place, what they’re about, pretending to fulfil that need, whereas the real reality is that such shows are voyeuristically cheapening and making a mockery of the true links between people). And so the irony, with all the global communications, we were never more isolated from each other.
What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
While Knowing Women is set in Dublin, the loneliness of the character, I would like to feel, transcends geography. I can see Benbo on the streets of New York or London, in the back alleys of Barcelona and Paris, in the small towns of New Jersey, in the isolation, the loneliness of the world.
So the novel then if you like is a cautionary tale without the restrictions of conventional morality (or a fingers-up to society, whichever way you care to interpret it). Is that the direction we’re going in, the way we treat people like Benbo, a person who is not a saint (far from it), but a sort of everyman or woman (the idea of gender is explored in the swimming pool, or with his mother—the female elements in man, the male elements in woman and the debunking of the macho male or indeed macho female as he explores the androgyny in all of us)? What Benbo lacks (his social Achilles heel exposed perhaps by the inadvertent shortness of his pants at the back) is a shrewdness, an inability to conceal his honesty; he is ripe for exploitation, a character that society could so easily crucify. That if you like is what the novel attempts to show: that our new sophistication is just a veneer for the predatory and savage nature of society deep down. As we advance, are we creating more problems than we solve? The history of the myriad factors that constitute human emotion have yet to be written, those distinct and rich inner worlds of people (Virginia Woolf had a bash at it in fairness), the sensitive soul whose thoughts are so often at variance with the cold outer structures of society. What can and cannot be said. The rules, the bogus grammar imposed, how we are parsed. The real world of a ticking individual, eccentric, idiosyncratic, whatever, is ironed out, sanitised by the outer dictates. So Benbo is all on his own—not that he would have wanted it otherwise—but his problem is that he fails to find a niche, a place where, without adverse consequences, he can truly express his own individual being—the naked hunted creature that he is trying to survive in a jungle of human falsehood. What a tired Benbo learns at the end is not only that he knows no one, but that no one can ever be known. We are all carrying too much baggage; we are full of tricks and excuses, dissimulations and fabrications, always self-justifying and that’s the unavoidable, the life as it is, he learns that at the end. And yet despite everything there is a ray of hope: the innocence of childhood, it can be saved; a frog can be turned into a prince.
https://jameslawless.net

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing Women is a unique and thought-provoking read.

There is an interview with the author at the beginning. This provides background information and adds depth and perspective to the story as it allows you to see how the idea came about and what the author was thinking as he wrote.

This story is about Laurence J Benbo, a 37 year old bachelor living in Dublin. He is saddened and lonely after breaking up with his girlfriend. He is also incredibly awkward around women. Laurence is desperately lonely. He wants to find love, but more importantly, he longs for a deep and meaningful connection with someone. Despite his desperation, he is also apprehensive about approaching people. Laurence is often surrounded by other people, but he is never together. His interactions are with people who are often lonely in his presence, which leads to Laurence feeling even more lonely and disconnected.

Everything seems to be going wrong for Laurence in his relationships. He meets a lap dancer named Jadwiga at a club and is immediately enthralled. He showers her with gifts and money in an attempt to form a relationship. He has just won the lottery and has plenty of money to spare.

His family is jealous of his win, and they attempt to blackmail him into handing over the money. His brother Maoilíosa and sister in law Erica start accusing him of interfering with their relationship with their daughter Lydia. Laurence seeks out Jadwiga for advice, but is distressed to see her enter a room with Maoilíosa. He lays awake at night thinking about his ex-girlfriend and his young niece as he listens to the rain fall outside his window and waits for the storm.

The author's writing style is very poetic. The writing feels like short fragments and descriptions weaved seamlessly into each other. This is a serious and often sad story, but it also feels very touching and is at times beautiful to read. The many strong feelings and emotions jump out from the pages and grab you in a very real way.

Although Laurence may seem like an unlikely choice for a protagonist, you will find yourself relating to him as you read. The further along you are in the story, the more you will feel like you have known him for a long time. At first, you will feel like you are watching a train wreck as you read about his life. You will feel a bit like a voyeur as you wonder what will go wrong next. It is hard to pinpoint exactly when, but as you continue on the journey with Laurence, you will be stirred by his emotions and start to feel very invested in what happens to him.

All the characters are very unique. They each add something to the story, and even characters that seem minor at first will play a major role. The ending wraps up loose ends, but not in a way you will expect. All your questions will be answered, but you will find yourself wanting answers to the underlying emotional questions. The ending is thought provoking and contemplative.

This is a serious look at deep and often sad and troubling subjects. The dialogue is very real, and there is some cursing in the story. As long as you are not offended by these things, I would recommend Knowing Women. It's hard to describe such a deep and melancholic read as enjoyable, but I guarantee you will get something out of it. You certainly won't regret giving this unique read a try!

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read James Lawless when I read his work, Clearing the Tangled Wood, his work on poetry and how it effects the way we see the world. It was a nice change to read his fictional work, and get another look into his mind.

Knowing Women is a novel about a middle aged bachelor, Lawrence Jasmine Benbo (yes, Jasmine). It is the story of his life, more specifically, his love life, and how it is affected by a large lottery win.

Mr Lawless states that this novel is about knowing women, although 'you can't know a woman' as Lawrence's brother tells him. Through his life, Lawrence believes that he may know them a little. He definitely likes them, the glance of a thigh, the move of their breasts as the breathe, the curve of their lips. Knowing them even more is high on his list, although, he rarely has the courage to follow through on his desires.

The book is also about knowing women, as in women who know. Lawrence meets a beautiful Belarusian immigrant who wants nothing more than to become an Irish citizen, and is willing to pay whatever price to do so. She knows how to get what she wants. His sister-in-law also knows how to make Lawrence hand over some of the money that he won at lottery, and decides to blackmail for him an episode with her daughter that, while uncomfortable to say the least, has been blown far out of proportion.

This book challenges our ideas of sexual morality in today's society. What is normal, what is deviant and who decides?

As usual, Mr Lawless' command of the English language takes us deeply into the psyche of his characters.

A very thoughtful read, and one that will leave you thinking for sometime after.

[Crystal Lanham · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Knowing Women’ is an enticing story of a middle aged man battling his loneliness, while showing us how far women can go.

James Lawless has delivered again! I do happen to be a Lawless fan, although I try very hard to keep my reviews unbiased.

Follow thirty-seven year old Laurence Benbo through a tale of middle-aged crisis. After another break up, Benbo is left feeling old and perpetually alone, even though he has recently won the lottery and is quite wealthy.

Then he meets Jadwiga. A dancer at a strip club. Onto whom he showers lots of money and gifts, thinking that this is the way to form a relationship with her.

All the while Benbo’s family is trying to blackmail him out of his lottery winnings. When Benbo finds out his precious Jadwiga is meeting with his brother, well, things just are not looking good for him.

Jadwiga only cares about one thing in this world, and that is acquiring her citizenship.

Bonus material : Interview with James Lawless

[Anita Kearney · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Lawless has created a character that could be any middle-aged lonely man or woman in any city in any country. The loneliness of Benbo is almost palatable. His voyeuristic view of life is both amusing and disturbing. This is the story of a man who is desperate for a connection with someone, anyone but also afraid to allow that connection to be made. The book is a testament to the idea of being alone even thought you are surround by and are interacting with others.
The story is one that is old as time but with a new twist that keeps you turning the page to find out when it will all go wrong and when it does how will Benbo react. You are not disappointed as the story moves along at a good clip to reach a climax that is not quite what you would expect. All in all it is a fine read, I highly recommend it for a rainy day.

[J. Nordstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Lawless's Knowing Women is a treat that keeps on treating the reader to clever similes, naughty metaphors, brilliant imagery, and a prose style that always wraps poetry in a beautiful bow around the marvelous text. You can't put the book down. If you're not driven by the interesting characters Lawless comes up with, especially poor clueless Laurence J. Benbo, then you're pleasantly bedeviled to continue reading to experience what this gifted literary mind throws at you next. 5 stars. Joe Jablonski

[James Goulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was recommended by a friend so I gave it a read, and was pleased with the book.

It took me a while to get going with it, but I liked the author's way of telling what was in the end an emotional story. The basic plot of someone winning the lottery and seeing how his life changes is attractive in itself. Yet Lawless's real story is in the people and the way they behave. Lawless writes well and I enjoyed this one. Like my friend, I would recommend this novel.

[Charlotte Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Would I recommend this book to a friend?"
Definitely! I can honestly say this book kept me intrigued and wanting to keep turning the pages.
So much so in fact that I finished reading it in one day. The story and personalities are well fleshed out and I had a great sense for how they were feeling, especially after the news of winning the lottery. Anyways, before this gets too long, "Knowing Women" is a solid buy for the money. Go ahead and enjoy it as much as I did.

[Ana Schein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excelente escritor narrando una historia que no me terminó de atrapar. Las cuatro estrellas son por la calidad de su narración, por sus diálogos y sus descripciones de paisajes. Demasiados monólogos interiores para mi gusto y un desarrollo muy lento. El título me hizo creer que iba a haber un análisis más profundo de la psicología femenina, terminé aprendiendo más sobre el universo masculino. Un muy buen análisis de la personalidad del protagonista.

[David Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thought-provoking story that leaves you asking yourself, What if? A reminder of how devastating loneliness can be... Lawless does an amazing job bringing the reader inside the world of the characters...The story really is Epic!! I can honestly say I've become a fan of Mr. Lawless, and I look forward to reading his next work.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great character portrayal. Very sinister moments. I'm wondering, though, whether my version of the book came without the last chapter. Very unsatisfying ending.

[James Lawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 27 now of brilliant reviews.