In Mr Loverman, by Bernadine Evaristo, we follow the life of Antiguan born Barrington Walker, who is seventy-four and has lived in Hackney, London since the 1960s. He lives with his wife, Carmel, with whom he has raised two daughters, Donna and Maxine. "Barry" is flamboyant, loves quoting Shakespeare and wearing dapper suits. But his life with Carmel is not a happy one, and one of his daughters barely speaks to him. His wife is convinced he is cheating on her with other women, but she is only half right - yes, he is cheating, but it isn't with other women. Barry is secretly gay and has found comfort over the years from many sources, but, primarily, with his childhood friend Morris, with whom he has had an on-off affair since they were both 14 years old, back in Antigua. Barry keeps threatening to divorce Carmel and go and live with Morris, but always backs out. But things are coming to a head once more and it's time for Barry to come out of the closet once and for all, or risk losing the true love of his life. This is a fantastic read. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, the characters are well rounded and the cracking dialogue throughout is hugely entertaining. You feel for all the characters who have found themselves in an impossible position, and you root for them to make the change so that they can try to live the lives they have always wanted in the time they have left. A story about not wasting your life trying to conform to the expectations of others, this will leave you with a warm glow and wanting more.
My STAR rating: FIVE.
Length: 240 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.
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