Five things about Jack Holmes and His Friend by Edmund White:
1. There were probably more descriptions of scrotums than I needed but hey, we’re all adults.
2. I picked up this book because I read an interview (years ago) with John Irving who said it was the book he was currently reading (and enjoying).
3. The characters are Irvingesque* – they’re a little odd, a little eccentric and they’re trying to be ‘normal’.
4. The ‘friend’, Will, is real pain.
5. There was a lovely opportunity for the author to go-to-town setting the scene (1970s-80s, New York, gay sub-culture) but unfortunately it wasn’t quite realised.
3/5 Vivid characters and some beautiful writing but somehow misses the mark. I suspect I didn’t pick the best of White.
*new word
Point 1 – hilarious! I’m an Irving fan so I might like this.
One description of a scrotum is more than enough for me. Your reviews do prompt me to think – up until now I didn’t even know I had a scrotal literature limit 😀