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j_sunday 's review for:
Our Evenings
by Alan Hollinghurst
It’s not simple: the life of a Black, gay man.
Dave Win was born in 1948. He never knew his father who was Burmese and killed before he entered this world. His mother, Avril, was English and a hard-working seamstress. They lived in a small community of England and Dave was fortunate to get a scholarship at a private school funded by Mark and Cara Hadlow whom became his friends and mentors.
Their son, Giles Hadlow, went to school with Dave. He was a disgraceful bully whom benefitted from his parent’s wealth and their support of the arts. Cara’s mother reminded me of the actress, Maggie Smith, in her movies with a no-nonsense attitude. She told Dave, who expressed his desire as a teenager to become an actor, that it may be difficult because of the way people will see the color of his skin. She said he would get lesser roles and should consider radio as an option. Nevertheless, Dave had a career doing what he loved: acting.
How does an author choose what to write about from one’s teenage years into his early 70s? The book is long and involved and shows how various people in our lives can influence us whether we like it or not. There were lots of plays, poetry, parties and of course: the people in Dave’s memoir. We don’t realize it so much until we are in our senior years and reflect back on the various scenes now twisted into our brains.
I found parts that I really enjoyed and others where I was drifting away. It’s clear that a great deal of thought went into writing this book that includes discrimination not only with Giles but also his mother who was a lesbian. I didn’t relate so much with the characters and yet, it’s a story that stays with you and makes an impression.
My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of October 8, 2024.
Dave Win was born in 1948. He never knew his father who was Burmese and killed before he entered this world. His mother, Avril, was English and a hard-working seamstress. They lived in a small community of England and Dave was fortunate to get a scholarship at a private school funded by Mark and Cara Hadlow whom became his friends and mentors.
Their son, Giles Hadlow, went to school with Dave. He was a disgraceful bully whom benefitted from his parent’s wealth and their support of the arts. Cara’s mother reminded me of the actress, Maggie Smith, in her movies with a no-nonsense attitude. She told Dave, who expressed his desire as a teenager to become an actor, that it may be difficult because of the way people will see the color of his skin. She said he would get lesser roles and should consider radio as an option. Nevertheless, Dave had a career doing what he loved: acting.
How does an author choose what to write about from one’s teenage years into his early 70s? The book is long and involved and shows how various people in our lives can influence us whether we like it or not. There were lots of plays, poetry, parties and of course: the people in Dave’s memoir. We don’t realize it so much until we are in our senior years and reflect back on the various scenes now twisted into our brains.
I found parts that I really enjoyed and others where I was drifting away. It’s clear that a great deal of thought went into writing this book that includes discrimination not only with Giles but also his mother who was a lesbian. I didn’t relate so much with the characters and yet, it’s a story that stays with you and makes an impression.
My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of October 8, 2024.