Book Review: The Path Not Chosen - QC Masters

When I first begun reading The Path Not Chosen my heart sank. Good Christian girl going to University didn’t seem to be a good start for any book. Was this going to be yet another lesbian novel with poor writing and an uninspiring plot development? Luckily it transpired that I had judged too harshly, too quickly, and by the time the lesbian scenes had started I was hooked. This novel is a believable portrayal of a new relationship with all of its sex, drama and pitfalls.

Paige is a modest and wholesome girl from a farming village, heading to University for the first time. With her ambitions set on studying medicine, she’s also hoping to meet a nice boy with whom to fall in love. She doesn’t just want to date however, as while not necessarily waiting for her wedding night, the virginal Paige is at least waiting for love and the prospect of marriage.

Her first day in the dorm sees her meet her new roommate Alyssa, the girl who is everything Paige is not - Beautiful, athletic and attractive to boys, yet also sweet and vulnerable. A rare medical disorder has made her a target for bullies and her looks have attracted bad behaviour from men. Alyssa is a source of fascination to Paige and they are soon best friends.

After Alyssa comes home in tears after being treated badly by a date, Paige realises her feelings are more than just friendly. Tormented by the sin of her feelings and overwhelmed with lust for Alyssa, Paige seeks out her local pastor for advice. A kindly man, he nonetheless points her towards ex-gay therapy to save her from becoming a sinner. Luckily Paige is in an environment with other intelligent adults and, after confessing all to her professor, is assured that same-sex longings are no threat to her inherent heterosexuality. Buoyed by her professor’s words and consumed by love, Paige decides to declare her feelings to Alyssa.

This is an interesting book as the developing relationship between Alyssa and Paige is well written and clearly based on real-life experiences. While being young and and full of hope, their relationship is not perfect, with their individual demons eventually impacting on their love. There are a lot of gratuitous sex scenes, which is fantastic considering sex is often whitewashed out in lesbian novels. What’s not so fabulous is the authors biased view of the lesbian scene around the two girls. When I came out and entered the lesbian scene, I gained friendship, lovers, support and family from the lesbians around me. Paige and Alyssa however, seem to immediately fall in with bullies, swingers, adulterers, and radical feminists. It’s an unnecessary stain in what could have been a rewarding lesbian novel.

I would recommend The Path Not Chosen as it’s a well put together portrayal of both first love, and despite both parties best intentions, how a relationship can slowly fall apart.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage - Stephanie Coontz

There are two arguments for and against gay marriage today. The For argument is generally, ‘Love is a human right’ and the Against tends to be for ‘Protecting the Sanctity of Traditional Marriage’. This book examines why both views were largely irrelevant for most of human history. Not only was love not a human right, until recently love wasn’t even a consideration when planning a marriage. Both men and women were discouraged from too much affection for their spouse, in case it undermined their loyalty for their family, their community, or God. As for the sanctity of marriage, the ‘’traditional”1950’s marriage deemed worthy of God’s love, was in fact a very unusual event in Western history, an event which lasted less than 20 years. Prior to last century, marriages were more like business mergers or investment partnerships and the married couple almost always shared their home with others of their family or community.

Stephanie Coontz studies family history and was inspired to write this book after being repeatedly asked if the institution of marriage was falling apart. While it is true that marriage is more fragile today than the days when the church held firm against divorce, she also shows that marriage has not always been the formal institution it is now, and that the church’s own position on marriage has changed many times. Even same-sex marriage has been previously permitted in places, provided both partners were able to commit to gender roles as firmly as any heterosexual couple. In Rome, where male-male marriages were derided, it wasn’t two men in love which was scandalous, but the idea of a man demeaning himself by doing ‘women’s work’.

This book is not about gay marriage; instead this is a book about the changing nature of marriage itself. Stephanie shows us that it is not gay equality that is threatening the Sanctity of Traditional Marriage, rather it was heterosexuals themselves who forever altered the institution -the growing popularity of ‘love’ matches, the desire to choose their own spouse, the breakdown of gender roles, the rise of feminism, and the acceptance of divorce and cohabitating partners - all opened the door to the inevitability of same-sex marriage.

This is a brilliant book, particularly in her comparisons to marriage myths as opposed to measurable marriage trends. It’s also an important read during this time when marriage is going through yet another upheaval.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: The Girl Back Home – R.E. Bradshaw

Jamie had it all, a stunning wife, a lucrative job and a luxurious mansion - only to lose it all after an affair with a younger woman. Thrown out of her home and abandoned by her friends, she packed up everything she owned and moved back to the small country town where she grew up. Once there she has her best friend Beth for support, as well as reconnecting with her first ever crush from her youth, a woman she hasn’t seen for 25 years.

Sandy was twenty years old and married with a small child when she met sixteen year old Jamie. Now twenty five years later Jamie is back and this time Sandy can admit to herself that she wants more than friendship. Unfortunately Sandy still has a husband, Jamie is still in love with her ex-wife and Beth is getting suspicious.

This is an interesting book of love between women at the prime of their lives. At seventeen and twenty one, their lives were too far apart to ever contemplate a relationship. Now at forty two and forty six the differences don’t seem as insurmountable. Before that can happen however, Sandy has to sort through her feelings about her marriage and Jamie has to recognise the issues in her past relationship which drove her to the affair. Of course, being a book about the rocky road to love there has to be a lot of drama along the way, yet the characters remain realistic throughout. This book can be long-winded at times but otherwise it’s a good read.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Girl Meets Boy – Ali Smith

This book is an easy read. By easy I mean there is no drama, no soul-searching, no difficult conversations with mothers or other relatives, no meddling ex-girlfriends and no heartbreak. It’s practically a gay fairy tale, only with less of a storyline.

Andrea is twenty one and has just moved in with her older sister Imogen. Imogen has a nice house, a well-paid job and a lean physique due to daily exercise. The only thing rebellious about Imogen is her motorbike named Rebel. Andrea knows that Imogen wants her to live an equally sensible life but she can’t. Instead she goes shopping instead of going to work, only to quit work altogether when she meets Robin.

Robin went to school with Imogen, but where Imogen became sensible, Robin became an activist. Robin and Andrea fall in love forcing Imogen to change her view of the world. How this occurs I can only imagine. The chapter between Imogen the bigot and Imogen the broadminded appears to have been missed. What wasn’t missed are the fascinating details the author puts into this book, from Ovid’s story of Iphis and Ianthe, to the statistics spray-painted onto Marks & Spencers. This is a beautifully written book and, like all fairy tales, ends happily ever after.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Sing You Home – Jodie Picoult

In these baby-booming times this book will likely strike a chord with a few people. Being about human infertility and the unrelenting desire to have a child, this isn’t a happy book. All of our main characters are struggling with recognisable demons and it takes almost half the book for them to truly become likeable. Despite all of that I’m a little bit in love with this novel, so much so that I sat up to 2am one night in order to finish it. It is genuinely unputdownable.

After nine years of fertility treatment, Zoe still doesn’t have a baby. After being advised to give up on her dream of motherhood due to ill health, Zoe refuses. A baby is more important than her health. Her husband, Max, doesn’t agree and instead files for divorce. Time passes and Zoe falls in love again – with a woman! Unfortunately Max also falls in love, only his new love affair is with God. When Zoe approaches Max for the rights over three frozen embryos they have remaining from IVF, Max approaches his church for advice. From there things start to get messy for Zoe.

This novel may be a clash between gay rights and religion, but it in no way demonises either. Jodie Picoult is careful to develop her main characters in order for us to really understand their motivations. No one person is in the wrong here and all are trying to do what they think is right. Ultimately Zoe and her ex-husband have to make big decisions and we, the reader, can only stand by helplessly and hope for the best. A very moving book.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Trumpet – Jackie Kay

Millie had a fantastic life and the perfect marriage, at least that’s how she remembers it now. Her famous husband Joss has just died and the secret they’d been hiding for over 40 years is out. Joss Moody, the male jazz musician, had been born a woman. Now Millie is all alone and in hiding, with even her adopted son Colman refusing to take her calls.

When the author, Jackie Kay, heard the story of Billy Tipton, she was inspired to turn his story into a book. Billy was a talented jazz musician from the 1920’s who enjoyed his life as a man, only to have his female gender discovered as he lay dying on the floor. Indeed history is littered with women who successfully changed their sex, but whether these women were gay or transgender has been lost to time. Jackie Kay sidesteps this discussion entirely by beginning her story two days after Joss Moody’s funeral.

Trumpet is a beautiful and descriptive novel, which despite its examination of grief, is really a book about love; the unconditional love of Millie for her husband, the love of a son for his father, and the love of a man for the music. If this book has anything to say, it is that love is ultimately more important than gender.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality – Daniel A Helminiak

Author Daniel Helminiak is both a Catholic priest and a Theologian, who believes that no one group has the right to impose an injustice on society. Concerned that a lack of personal acceptance is holding people back from spirituality, he has written a number of books on religion. His book, ‘What the Bible Really Says’ is solely concerned with the treatment of homosexuality in the bible. Not surprisingly it’s not a long book.

He starts by explaining the difficulties in interpreting the bible. It was a long time ago and both language and social norms were very different. Life was tough, many died young, women were the property of men, adultery was theft, slavery was acceptable, and while same-sex genital activity was known to occur, homosexual relationships were not. The Hebrews didn't even have a word for male-male homosexual behaviour, while lesbians failed to get a mention at all.

If your knowledge of the bible is weak, this book could be a good place to start. Mostly it is easy to read, though some of his explanations can be hard to follow at times. Still, by the end of you should have learned something about history, whether you are interested in religion or not. After all, this was a world where Jesus healed the same-sex lover of a Centurion without a thought, while educated men despaired over angel-human sex. Ultimately, Daniel Helminiak wants to spread the word that an ancient Christian God preached love, and question why the modern day Church doesn’t teach the same.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: I Can't Think Straight - Shamim Sarif

After 3 failed engagements, Tala has finally found the perfect husband. During preparations for her rapidly approaching wedding, Tala meets Leyla and suddenly starts to doubt her love for her fourth fiancé.

I Can’t Think Straight is both a movie and a novel. Set in Jordan and England, the story centres around the lives of two Middle Eastern women trying to do the right thing by their families. In some ways Tala and Leyla's lives seem to overlap; they both come from highly religious and wealthy families, they are both beautiful and well-educated, and they both have a younger and rebellious sister. But Tala is an outgoing and vibrant Catholic from Jordan, while Leyla is shy, Muslim and living in London where most of this story takes place. While British born Leyla has secretly imagined loving and being loved by another woman, Tala cannot. Tala knows that such a relationship is an impossibility in her world, so is ready to walk down the aisle with the man who adores her and has made her mother proud.

Despite the cheesy title and inelegant writing, the book is great! The families of both Tala and Leyla make this book shine, and the author manages to convey human relationships, both family and romantic, in a realistic and recognisable way. This isn’t a book where the main characters are tortured by their sexuality only to die in the end. Rather their lives are moving along smoothly, with neither girl fully aware that anything is amiss, until the day they fall in love. From that initial contact, they soon find themselves in a race against time to reconcile their new feelings, against their respective cultures, before Tala gets married. Their families pitch into the drama as families do, some well-meaning, some supportive, and some downright conniving. Ultimately the book has the ending you expect, but it’s well worth a read.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Sexual Fluidity - Lisa M Diamond

In 1995, 100 women were recruited for a ten year project, in order to study how female sexuality changed over time. 43 of the women were lesbian, 11 were heterosexual and the rest were bisexual or non-heterosexual. Rather than settling into their chosen labels as expected, two thirds of the women relabelled themselves at least once, with 1/3 changing their identity twice or more. In fact the most consistently used label by 2005 wasn’t a label at all, but ‘unlabelled’ or the rejection of the need for a label.

When Lisa Diamond, the woman behind this project, began her research on variations in female sexuality, she already thought she knew what she was going to find. Ten years later she realised she was wrong. Rather than sexual identities and behaviour greatly differing from woman to woman, instead she found it could also vary wildly in the same woman, sometimes repeatedly. Straight women could date women, bisexuals could swing from gay to straight and lesbians could drop labels altogether. Historically such women were considered confused, unstable or immature, a view Lisa Diamond no longer agrees with. In Sexual Fluidity she uses her own research along with the research of others to make the case for female sexual fluidity.

This is not to say that Lisa Diamond believes that sexual orientation can be changed, rather this fluidity allows some women greater flexibility with their sexuality than their orientation would suggest. Nor does Lisa consider her research a criticism of the gay identity, pointing out that female fluidity is not an unknown concept in the lesbian community, but one that has been neglected by mainstream media and scientists.

If you’ve ever wondered about female sexuality or felt you were the only one to feel a certain way about your own sexuality, this is the book for you. It’s well researched, well written and a fantastic read for gay and straight alike.

Review by Ida Raine