A review by charliebnl
Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This charming book is told from the perspective of the opinionated, dapper Barrington Jedidiah Walker loving known as Barry. Barry is a Caribbean man living in the UK. He is married with two daughters and has built up a wonderful life for himself. Except that his long-term lover may leave him if he doesn’t find the courage to leave his wife and be true to himself. 
 
I love Bernadine’s writing and honestly, I am ashamed to say I’ve only read two of her books now. I had to check if she was from the Caribbean because she did such a stellar job of representing a Caribbean British man and as charming as Barry can be, he can also be as annoying, frustrating, and hurtful to the ones he loves. 
 
However, as we follow his journey of working out how to come openly into his sexual orientation in his 70s, we explore the many dangers that still face the LGBTQ+ community both in the early ‘60s as well as in the present day. 
 
One thing that really stood out for me, is that I probably listen to a lot of homophobic dancehall music without me knowing it. It also made me question, why people need to make so much content about someone else’s orientation. Barry grows on you at times, but also you do hope that he gets some karma for the chaos that he has created in other people’s lives, in particular his wife’s and his lover’s.
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