Description
Alan presents a side of gay life not often presented in this world where the hedonistic, wild side is the one which usually grabs the headlines and forms the impression in people's minds. Alan portrays gay men as ordinary people who have an enormous need for affection and constancy in their life, but who struggle to achieve this for many of the reasons explored in the book.Our protagonist Richard manages to break away from the life of prostitution and porn, which he fell into when he left home at 16 thanks to the help of an older gay man, Paul whom he befriends on holiday. Paul uses his contacts to help the attractive and articulate Richard forge a new career in acting; but his new role mean he must keep his sexuality secret and any hint of his former life could ruin everything.
We are once again reminded that being ourselves is no simple matter and this world and the people in it will often make honesty, even self honesty impossible. The mistakes we make in youth can often claw us back into the abyss just when we think we have divorced ourselves from everything we once were. The pain in As Others See Us resounds like a siren in the head of anyone who once had a dream and reflects the cold hard reality that achieving ones dreams and fulfilling ones destiny are never forgone conclusions.
The universal themes explored and the wonderful way Alan narrates this story make it compelling, believable and applicable to any reader who has a past, a secret or who searches for their identity.
ISBN:9781857561005
