Review: Don't let the premise put you off
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2012
I haven't quite been able to get the characters from "Ink" (which I recently read) out of my head for the past couple of days, so I decided to try author Sarah Goodwin's other novel right off. It's titled "Me and Mine" and, just as in "Ink", is the story of a fellow in his late teens who is drawn to an older man. Hmmmm, I think I see a theme emerging here.....Okay, right off we HAVE to discuss the potential "ick factor" of this book, which (from the blurb) sounds like it may be quite substantial and problematic. With all the stories that have come to light regarding the ongoing horrendous corruption in the Catholic church, there was no way I was interested in a story that hinted in any way of paedophilia or priestly abuse. So, please do let me reassure any potential readers that this book is not what it sounds like it could be. While I think this relationship in its initial stages is unwise, I want to stress that I do not view Sebastian as a predator, nor was there any sexual contact whatsoever with any character who is under 18 years of age.However, Seb is a full twelve years older than Jude, which---for reasons I noted in my review of "Ink"---I do have a problem with . (At least, while one of the members of the partnership is below the age of twenty-one or so.) However, this story manages to overcome my objections to the age difference---but I can't really say how without giving key plot points away.In fact, there's a lot I can't mention if I don't want to provide spoilers; a frustrating state of affairs when trying to write a review! So, let's see what I can talk about here....While telling the story of how Seb and Jude first became attracted to one another, I don't think this novel is at all trying to insinuate that this is necessarily a normal or healthy relationship. But the author does show how the relationship came to be without placing blame firmly on either fellow---if "blame" is even the correct word to use here. Oh, there's no doubt that as a priest Seb makes some mistakes by not removing himself from the situation---it simply was not proper for someone in his position to get as close to Jude as he did. However, this is remedied when---whoops, again I can't say what happens!Overall, I quite enjoyed this story; in fact, I was very surprised at how much I liked it. It lacks the seedy, tawdry elements that made me uncomfortable with portions of Ink; in the end, I thought it was a very sweet love story.Now, that's not to say it's perfect; the plot contains a few problematic areas. First off, for all practical purposes Seb, in the early portions of the story, is operating in a vacuum. We see his struggle, but as someone who took his priestly duties seriously we don't see him seeking help from his own confessor. It's like he has no contact with, or place in, the general hierarchy and ruling structure of the church, and I don't think the Catholic organisation operates like that.Also, the opening chapters of the book show just how badly both Seb and Jude have been affected by the severe anti-gay mindset dictated by their individual religious upbringings. This rang very true-to-life for me; you'll hear stories like theirs over and over again when learning about various "ex-gay" ministries. However, later in the book they both get over these engrained thought patterns almost instantly; practically in the blink of an eye. I can see them doing a complete turn-around in their way of thinking (happens all the time to those involved with the "ex-gay" nonsense!). But----it usually takes time and a lot of study to change one's basic mindset. I really do think that an entire chapter could have been added to the book to show them going through this process; I think the reader should understand how and why they changed. It isn't a case of them saying "oh, I'll just ignore religion from now on"----there are very logical reasons why those half-dozen or so anti-gay scriptures (the ones that are always being trotted out by the anti-gay groups) are so easily subject to reinterpretation. I would have liked to see Seb and Jude explore this issue together, instead of having it all be over and done with in a flash.At any rate, as noted above I quite enjoyed this story. Much more so than I thought I would when I first started, and I'll gladly recommend it.