Review: Very pleasant read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 21, 2013
What a lovely book! Jay Northcote is a new author to me and I am so delighted to have discovered her work. Nothing Serious is the story of two very nice men who meet as one of them is going through a bad patch as his marriage to a woman breaks up. Ms Northcote’s use of language is beautifully done and her plotting of the book is exquisite.There has been some debate of late about whether British authors should change their dialog and vocabulary to reflect American English. I am of the opinion that if the characters are British they should sound British, and so it is that Mark and Jamie do sound very British. I felt as if I were visiting them in London.There is very minor angst in this book, and that is what made it so delightful. Real people aren’t always evil or threatening, or even boring. And they aren’t always experienced with a variety of sexual acts, especially if one is just coming to terms with the fact that his life as a heterosexual man is a sham. There is humor here, too. When Mark’s box of “personal items” breaks open in the hands of one of his movers he is humiliated. However, Jamie, the mover, who is gay recognizes what is going on here and finds himself in the right place at the right time. Relocating belongings is a recurrent theme of the book and brings us full circle at a very satisfying ending. Or is it a beginning?