Wednesday 20 December 2017

Maurice by E.M.Forster

"By pleasuring the body Maurice had confirmed - that very word was used in the final verdict - he had confirmed his spirit in its perversion, and cut himself off from the congregation of normal man"

I'm currently reviewing a tormented gay love story while watching a George Michael documentary - both made me teary ( the book not the review). Maurice  is a slow burner and yet it captures inner conflict in a visceral way. The sense of the eponymous hero being somewhat removed and different to his classmates and friends is really supported by the writing, which is excellent. It is very British and restrained emotionally in terms of the prose, so that when passion bubbles to the surface it is really palpable despite its restraint. Forster doesn't go into detail about the **spoiler*** finally eventful coupling with the hot groundskeeper ( who in my imagination is the spitting image of Jamie from Outlander) and I think that places this firmly in the romantic category. What I was particularly taken with was the vulnerability and concern that blackmail rather than romance could be someone's modus operandi. Love is scary, putting yourself out there is scary. Wearing your heart on your sleeve when enacting those feelings is a criminal offence, as it was at the time, takes this to another level.
If you are wondering why this didn't get a five out of five from me, it was more about the languidness of the majority of the book. I get that the protagonist is fearful and confused and unsure, I guess as a reader I'm impatient for resolution and I wanted more pace in the middle. Also, Clive is really annoying, but then don't we all chase men who aren't interested sometimes?


4 out of 5 readers can you believe I've not seen the movie with Hugh Grant? Seriously, a young, handsome Hugh Grant - get me the dvd  stat.

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