Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall
Neil Bartlett
Serpents Tail
<p>At three in the morning, to the sound of slow music on the piano, in the darkest corner of the best bar in the city, two lovers fall into each others arms...one is older and wiser: one is just nineteen. Then follow the rites and ceremonies of a love affair and a happy marriage. From the kisses of courtship to the reading of the banns; from the wedding to the lovemaking to the moment when the first child is cradled in the loving parents' arms, everything in this story is in its proper place. Except that this marriage is a marriage between two men. "Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall" recasts earlier twentieth century fiction into a decisively contemporary account of how men in love might imagine their lives.</p>From Publishers Weekly<p>Bartlett's novel of gay life in an unnamed city is an amalgam of gossip, jaded elegance and romance, blended with narrative ambiguities and precious conceits. <br>Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>From Library Journal<p>British director and playwright Bartlett's first novel is a passionate, erotic story between an older man, "O," and his younger lover, "Boy." Taking place in an unnamed town in Britain at an undefined time, the story chronicles their courtship, the consummation of their relationship, and their eventual living arrangement. Hovering about is the mysterious "Mother," the proprietor of the local pub that the two lovers frequent. Responsible for introducing the two, she plays the role of protector, provider, and sage, encouraging and watching with satisfaction as their love deepens. The story has a small, chilling subplot involving unprovoked, random attacks on gay men, but it ends with a satisfying twist. A fairly engaging novel, and quite ordinary in that it is told with no apologies and no stereotypes, and for once has no one dying of AIDS. Though AIDS is a serious problem in the community, Bartlett should be commended for addressing and acknowledging HIV-negative men. Recommended.<br><em>- Kevin M. Roddy, Oakland P.L., Cal.</em><br>Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p></br></br></br>