As my hand reaches for the book that promises to exclude women, I cannot help but wonder whether it can be of any interest to female readers. Already it is the No. 1 Amazon Gay Bestseller, Top Gay Seller at Foyles and Inaugural Green Carnation Award shortlist, Man’s World appears to offer very little to women.
‘Funny, dirty, deeply romantic’, intrigues Jake Arnott’s comment on the cover of the book. As the story of two gay men unfolds, this historical romance does live up to our expectations.
Smith’s novel engages us in the lives of two gay men:
London today: a world of drugs, sex and designer clubs, where Robert searches for fulfilment in gay clubs.
London 50 years ago: Michael’s secret diary records the experiences of living in a society where any sign of queerness is condemned.
Supported by the Arts Council of England, Man’s World is a very well-researched novel. The 1950s world that it depicts comes across as very authentic and believable.
Yes, it is dirty, and yes, it is full of sex scenes. Yet this novel is also so much more, it is educational to say the least. When the characters reveal the pain they are forced to live with every day, one realises that the themes explored in this story are universal:
‘They can’t keep us down forever. One day we’ll be able to live free and open’
‘Laws that forbid our very existence’
It is such a great story because it is about every one of us: it explores the problem of not fitting in, the fear of being disliked by others, the challenge of being oneself.
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