The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter (Particular Books)

I purchased this book some time ago and just now finished it while working my way through the 2025 Goldsmith Prize list. It is a very intense novel narrated mostly in the mind of John, a college age gay man and his relationship with an older man during the AIDs crisis, ending almost 30 years later. We become very familiar with John and his growth and change through these years.
It is also an enlightening description of gay culture during this time. John spends much time walking through different sections of London through the years and the changes in the city in some ways echo the life changes of the story. Place and "home" become very important and almost a character in the story, with changes up until the very end. 4*

I thought this was extremely powerful and my favourite so far of a strong list.

Couple of resources that may be useful and add to the world around the novel:

A short story adjacent to the novel, narrated by Nova Scotia House itself: https://www.apartamentomagazine.com/s...

Spotify playlist, curated by the author, of the songs featured: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6X6...?

The second book I read this week to feature the art of Félix González-Torres - which in this book is not named. (Other book is Art on Fire)

Thank you for both links, Paul!

Quite a mixed bag for me.