Review by dbestrnbsw - Love Habit

dbestrnbsw 's review for:

Love Habit by TL Clark

4.0

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is a real divergence from Clark’s previous writings. Set in medieval England, through the Tudor reign, the story follows two young men who enter the novitiate of the Benedictine Order of Darenth Priory. Clark does an exemplary job explaining the process for becoming a monk, as well as the daily life of the cloistered. Her attention to detail can be seen in the attached maps, glossary, and use of the vernacular of the times. The author posits that homosexuality was one of the driving reasons young men of the time chose to enter holy orders (she includes other reasons as well), and this serves as the novel’s theme. Was it God’s will that these young men met? Is it possible to live a life without sin? Sexual content is frequent and graphic, sometimes to the detriment of Clark’s text, however, it remains that this is perhaps a good literary example of the awakening sexuality of two naive young men of this time period.

Content Warnings