Jonathan Kemp

"London Triptych" tells three tales of male hustlers, starting way back in the late 1800s with a young rent boy named Jack Rose who befriends Oscar Wilde a short time before his infamous trial. Fast forward to the 1950s where we meet Colin, an aging artist who finally gets his inspiration back thanks to his model Gore. The third story follows David, writing letters from prison to the man he loved -- a hustler much like himself. All three tales meditate on gay life in London and what defines show more love and pleasure. (The stories also interweave with one another as you read farther into the book, which wasn't totally unexpected.) Each story perfectly presents its time period, giving us a taste of the difficulties gay men endured just to be with like individuals and showing that the times haven't changed too much. It's each character's reaction to the time and to the circumstances that make this an interesting read, especially viewing Victorian London through the eyes of Jack and the impression that Wilde makes on how he begins to view the world. show less

A short book of short stories - flash fiction is perhaps a closer description - which detail, often graphically, gay sexual encounters.
Kemp writes about sex very well, but his musings on it's meaning, or how to put it into words, confuses more than illuminates. The pieces themselves are often so short they're doomed to be forgotten before their final phrase is read. But here and there, a scene, a line, a sentence will hit you with real power.

This book has an engaging and unusual story covering a period of 100 years with very good charachterisation. I read this book with a smile on my face, as the voices were so immediate and fresh. Highly recommended.

I was disappointed by this book. Given that it was in the Green Carnation prize shortlist and was a "Recommended read" from GTW bookshop I was expecting more. The original idea behind the book of exploring the relationship Oscar Wilde had with Alfred Taylor's "renters", who by testifying against him in court were his downfall, was by far the most interesting aspect of the book. The other two parts of the "triptych" didn't seem to add very much and I certainly didn't warm to the characters.