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A review by tshepiso
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
4.0
After inhaling Boyfriend Material in a day I was excited to get to its sequel. And, for the most part, it didn't disappoint. Firstly the concept of this novel is something I adore. I'm generally much more interested in the 'staying together' portion of relationships than 'getting together' and given that most romances stick to the latter I've been starved for content. But as he's consistently done Alexis Hall delivers exactly what I've been craving in Husband Material. This book sees Luc and Oliver two years after the end of Boyfriend Material blissfully dating yet increasingly surrounded by happily married couples. After attending a string of weddings Luc impulsively proposes to Oliver and the two embark on the harrowing process of planning a wedding.
What I loved most about this novel is how it approaches Luc and Oliver's relationship. While the two deeply love each other that doesn't mean their relationship is free from conflict. And rather than the contrived relationship drama most writers force established couples into the struggles these two go through are deeply informed by their previously established characterization. While Luc loves Oliver he's still insecure and impulsive and that impacts their relationship. Getting the guy didn't magically fix all his problems. However, despite still having conflict, Hall never makes Luc and Oliver's relationship flimsy. White lies and misunderstandings never break the two apart in serious ways and the cliched cheating plotlines are completely avoided. Because despite the growing pains in their relationship Hall always keeps a firm grasp on why the two love each other and want to be together.
Another thing I loved about this novel is its themes which I, unfortunately, can't discuss without heading deep into spoiler territory. The way Hall answers the question of what marriage means for Luc and Oliver was beautifully rendered and perfectly constructed. Throughout the novel, Luc and Oliver are bombarded with the cultural expectations of marriage and its place as the one true symbol of true love and eternal happiness. The genuine angst about their marriage and the conflict that angsts created while occasionally frustrating never felt contrived but honest and true. Throughout the novel Luc and Oliver see marriage play out in both the most traditional and queer ways possible yet they still decide that mould doesn't fit them. Seeing that choice validated was so beautiful and so fitting for them as a couple. Hall's overall unpacking of the heteronormativity of marriage and the weight the societal ideals of what marriage means puts on especially queer people was done perfectly.
I especially appreciated the ways Hall tied Luc and Oliver's contrasting relationships to the queer community into this overarching narrative. I was initially skeptical of the way Oliver's distance from the aesthetic trappings of queerness in contrast to Luc's unabashed embrace of "stereotypical" queer symbols and activities would play out but this ultimately resolved itself well. Hall balances validating Oliver's feelings while challenging him to interrogate where they come from and Luc backing down from his ultimately insecurity-based fears that Oliver doesn't present his queer identity in the same ways he does excellently.
I did still have some problems with Husband Material. The biggest was just how much time we spent on the side plots, especially early on in the novel. The most egregious was Luc's best friend Bridge's wedding. While this plotline is thematically relevant to the overarching story I found the hijinks surrounding it more than a little tedious. The antics Bridge and y extension Luc finds themselves in during the leadup to Bridge's wedding were a tad too convoluted for my taste. It didn't help that they took up almost a third of the novel.
This book also highlighted for me that I don't enjoy a lot of Alexis Hall's humour. Outside of Luc and Oliver's banter which continued to be delightful the running gags surrounding most of the side characters started wearing thin very quickly. In hindsight, I didn't find these jokes all that amusing in Boyfriend Material but they comparatively took up much less space in that novel than in this one which made them more tolerable. From the quirkily named James Royce Royce's and Ana with one n (yes, she's referred like to like that the entire time) to Luc's "charmingly" annoying colleagues, it was all getting a little too twee to bear at a certain point.
As I did in Boyfriend Material I continued to long for Oliver's POV throughout the story. He, again, has the most compelling conflict in this story as we follow up on his messy relationship with his controlling, slightly homophobic family. Some of the most emotionally engaging and moving moments in the book centred on his relationship with his family and I wish we'd gotten to see those moments from his perspective. From the processes of grieving his complicated father to repairing his relationship with his brother Christopher and even connecting with his long-closeted uncle Jim there were so many moments I wish I had been closer to through Oliver's perspective but never could be. Further, I do think the narrative does lose something from never seeing Oliver's perspective. While I do love and believe in their romance Luc is such a self-deprecating person that there were moments I struggled to understand what Oliver saw in him. And because Luc often saw Oliver through the rose-tinted glasses of a lover I often felt I didn't have as deep an understanding of Oliver's flaws as I could have.
In this end, I think what made Husband Material so successful despite minor flaws was Alexis Hall's excellent character work and stunning command of romantic storytelling. His work never ceases to amaze me. I can't wait to read the next chapter in Luc and Oliver's story, but until then I'll content myself by binging the rest of his backlist.
What I loved most about this novel is how it approaches Luc and Oliver's relationship. While the two deeply love each other that doesn't mean their relationship is free from conflict. And rather than the contrived relationship drama most writers force established couples into the struggles these two go through are deeply informed by their previously established characterization. While Luc loves Oliver he's still insecure and impulsive and that impacts their relationship. Getting the guy didn't magically fix all his problems. However, despite still having conflict, Hall never makes Luc and Oliver's relationship flimsy. White lies and misunderstandings never break the two apart in serious ways and the cliched cheating plotlines are completely avoided. Because despite the growing pains in their relationship Hall always keeps a firm grasp on why the two love each other and want to be together.
Another thing I loved about this novel is its themes which I, unfortunately, can't discuss without heading deep into spoiler territory.
I especially appreciated the ways Hall tied Luc and Oliver's contrasting relationships to the queer community into this overarching narrative. I was initially skeptical of the way Oliver's distance from the aesthetic trappings of queerness in contrast to Luc's unabashed embrace of "stereotypical" queer symbols and activities would play out but this ultimately resolved itself well.
I did still have some problems with Husband Material. The biggest was just how much time we spent on the side plots, especially early on in the novel. The most egregious was Luc's best friend Bridge's wedding. While this plotline is thematically relevant to the overarching story I found the hijinks surrounding it more than a little tedious. The antics Bridge and y extension Luc finds themselves in during the leadup to Bridge's wedding were a tad too convoluted for my taste. It didn't help that they took up almost a third of the novel.
This book also highlighted for me that I don't enjoy a lot of Alexis Hall's humour. Outside of Luc and Oliver's banter which continued to be delightful the running gags surrounding most of the side characters started wearing thin very quickly. In hindsight, I didn't find these jokes all that amusing in Boyfriend Material but they comparatively took up much less space in that novel than in this one which made them more tolerable. From the quirkily named James Royce Royce's and Ana with one n (yes, she's referred like to like that the entire time) to Luc's "charmingly" annoying colleagues, it was all getting a little too twee to bear at a certain point.
As I did in Boyfriend Material I continued to long for Oliver's POV throughout the story. He, again, has the most compelling conflict in this story as we follow up on his messy relationship with his controlling, slightly homophobic family. Some of the most emotionally engaging and moving moments in the book centred on his relationship with his family and I wish we'd gotten to see those moments from his perspective.
In this end, I think what made Husband Material so successful despite minor flaws was Alexis Hall's excellent character work and stunning command of romantic storytelling. His work never ceases to amaze me. I can't wait to read the next chapter in Luc and Oliver's story, but until then I'll content myself by binging the rest of his backlist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Vomit