Gents

Three Jamaicans work in a public toilet in London. They are pretty much resigned to the almost constant cottaging that goes on, until one day the council tells them that it needs to be stopped or the premises will be closed.

That might not sound like a great premise for a book - and indeed, the story is both short and a quick read. But the style and the subject matter both pack a lot more punch than you might think on a first look.

The style is very spare - it feels as if you are being told everything that happens, but of course there is actually a lot going on between the lines. The story, too, manages to bring in some big questions - particularly how different people choose to respond to other lifestyles (not just sexuality) - without show more ever labouring the point - it's beautifully light-touch.

Sample sentence: It was possible to tell from the sound alone which cubicle had opened or closed. The doors of the seventeen cubicles were like a musical scale. Each hollow space they enclosed had a different frequency. The flushing of the cistern in cubicle three had a different sound from cubicle eleven.

Recommended for: anyone who appreciates good writing and is prepared for an unusual setting! show less

A short, but very readable book. based in a London men's toilet! It explores the reactions of the three Jamaican men working there and to a lesser extent their wives to the homosexuals (who use the gents for cottaging), to their work and to their background/race. I put in for this as an Early Reviewer as it sounded a bit different and am glad I did as it was much better than I expected. There are a few descriptions of cleaning urinals etc but the book is not 'grubby' or too graphic in either the toilet or sexual sense. Well written, a quick read, and recommended

This is a bit of a gem - and I've heard it's getting reprinted! Despite the book's blurb, it's not so much about the "actions" in the stalls as it is about culture clashes and the question of how to survive in a multi-cultural world and how to deal with all our different views of sin, racism, prejudice, family, society, and sex. Collins' descriptions of this underground world are so precise and yet so feather-light that it's almost like reading a poem. I also love how the attendants aren't so upset about what goes on in the stalls, but how it's done - no courtship... Of course, how the guys solve the problem with keeping their jobs in the end is just fantabulous! :) It's a short book, but it packs a punch and a half.

Meet Ezekiel Murphy.

Needing work, he takes a job working as a toilet attendant at a men’s washroom in the London Underground. Working with two other men, Reynolds and Jason, he figures this will be just one more run of the mill job.

He is mistaken.

One day while cleaning the bathroom, he watches as two men leave a cubicle together. Another time, he watches as someone kneels on the ground while the other man stays standing.

Appalled, he asks Reynolds and Jason what is going on. “It’s the reptiles.” Jason says. Apparently the bathroom in which they work in is a popular spot for “cottaging” or gay sex. Many men cruise the washroom looking to get off.

What shocks Ez the most is that these are seemingly normal men. He observes one show more gentleman he saw in a cubicle with another meet up with his family. “Took your time,” the wife observes. He wonders if he should say anything; wonders if it’s his place.

The three men are dealt a further blow when they are given an ultimatum: cut down on the amount of gay cursing in the washroom or the London council will shut it down. Suddenly, the three men find themselves in between a rock and a hard place having to confront an enemy they know nothing about.

They decide to take matters into their own hands. They start to observe the “reptiles” and their habits; they start to fight back. But what are they fighting most?

Their own prejudices or the rights of others?

Gents may be a small novel but it packs a mean wallop. Clocking in at only 172 pages, many would under estimate the power of this slim volume. They would be unwise to do so. Gents take an in your face look at many issues that other writers would cheerfully avoid: homosexuality, washroom sex, cruising, races, culture, prejudice and racism.

Gents has so much power because it looks at all these issues and more in such brutal, unashamed honesty. You never feel for an instant that you are reading something that should be shocking or scandalous; though, looked at separately, many of the books subjects do indeed cause scandal.

Collins has also created some of the most likeable, wonderful characters I've ever encountered in literature today: Ezekiel, a West Indian immigrant worried about providing for his wife and son. Jason, the Rastafarian who has two wives. Reynolds, their supervisor, who tries to remain distant from their situation but can't help getting drawn in.

These people breathe. I don't think I can say it clearer than that; they are people I know, people I talk to every day. They are real and honest and true people. It takes a talented writer to create characters with such finesse; characters that I feel I've known for years. It takes not only a writer but a magician to create with such simplicity.

Gents is written in simple, precise words. You won't find any purple prose here; because of the writing style, the issue is right there, out in the open, waiting for you to acknowledge it. Though the language is simple, the words have power. The book doesn't take a political or social stance. It sets everything on the table for you to read and makes no judgments.

Though many would argue that this is a book about homosexuality, it isn't. This is a book about people who are forced to confront something within themselves and make a decision that affects others. It's not about gay cruising. It's about the power of the human heart when you are asked to confront something you don't understand.

Gents is a treat, a joy and a pleasure. I am reading it again for the second time. I was moved, swayed and held by the power of Collins words and Gents is a novel that will haunt me for some time to come. show less

A short read that took me into a world beyond my experience. I would not choose to read a book about a public lavatory – let alone the gents! Set in an underground gents we follow the three characters who work as toilet attendants in a subterranean world. There is a gentle rhythm of mopping floors, replacing toilet rolls, scrubbing tiles and urinals. The book was engaging, thought provoking and in places humorous. Never was I told what to think - rather I was left to reflect upon issues of racism, homosexuality and friendship at work. The overriding sense is one of humanity struggling to make sense of the world and I did actually find myself ‘caring’ for the situation when the takings of the public convenience fell. The writing is show more simple and in places understated. Overall, I am really pleased I read this book which I would never have approached had it not been for the Early Reviwer copy I received. If curiosity is prompting you – go ahead, find it and read it! show less

This is a short tale in what might seem an unsalubrious setting, but it's a small gem of a book that's well worth reading. It was first published in 1997, but went out of print, before being republished in 2007 by The Friday Project. The republication is well deserved.

Gents is the tale of Ezekiel Murphy, a West Indian immigrant, and the job he takes as an attendant in a public lavatory in London. The supervisor, Josiah Reynolds, and the other cleaner, Jason, teach him the job, which includes more than he had expected. As Ez soon discovers, the facility is popular with cottagers -- men using the cubicles for fast, anonymous sex with other men. The attendants discourage it as best they can, but tolerate a certain amount of activity, show more because as Reynolds points out, the 'reptiles' are no threat to anyone.

There are still complaints to the council about the goings-on, and the crew are told that they must clamp down on the cottaging or the facility will be shut. Alas, they're too successful for their own good, and takings from the small cover charge that covers the facility's running costs drop precipitously, leading to renewed threats of job cuts, and a dilemma for the attendants...

Gents is a gentle, funny and subtle parable about tolerance, on more levels and subjects than the obvious one. The characters and situations are sketched lightly but deftly, in a lovely display of showing rather than telling, and I wasn't surprised to learn that Collins originally conceived the story as a screenplay. The three West Indian attendants have much in common through their common background, but are still very different people with different attitudes and prejudices. They have an outsider's view of the society they live in, and see it from underneath. Through Ez the book touches on issues of race, class, homophobia, religion and culture, without ever being heavy-handed or one-sided.

There are stunningly good descriptive passages about the men and their world, and the characters are likeable and sympathetic, without being unbelievable saints. The main characters are the three men, but they also all have wives (two in Jason's case), and Ez's wife Martha and his relationship with her is a particular strength of the book.

One minor problem for some readers will be the Jamaican patois in the dialogue, which does take a few pages to get used to if you're not familiar with it. But it's appropriate for the characters and not pushed to the point where it's hard to follow.

This is a much shorter read than its 172 pages might suggest, as a large font and plenty of white space mean that there aren't many words per page. At 25,000 words or so, this is a novella rather than a full-length novel, and you get around an hour's reading for your eight pounds. But it's beautifully written and a joy to read. It may be short but there's plenty of depth, and it will stand up well to re-reading. Even if you feel that the book is too pricy for the word count, it's well worth checking it out from your library. show less

I found it difficult to get in the swing of the patois, but each character was well-drawn and I loved Ez's humanity, especially after Jason's bigotry. The ending was surprising and wonderfully uplifting.