Mr Loverman - Bernardine Evaristo

Description

Barrington Jedidiah Walker is seventy-four and leads a double life. Born and bred in Antigua, he's lived in Hackney since the sixties. A flamboyant, wise-cracking local character with a dapper taste in retro suits and a fondness for quoting Shakespeare, Barrington is a husband, father and grandfather - but he is also secretly homosexual, lovers with his great childhood friend, Morris.

His deeply religious and disappointed wife, Carmel, thinks he sleeps with other women. When their marriage goes into meltdown, Barrington wants to divorce Carmel and live with Morris, but after a lifetime of fear and deception, will he manage to break away?

Mr Loverman is a ground-breaking exploration of Britain's older Caribbean community, which explodes cultural myths and fallacies and shows the extent of what can happen when people fear the consequences of being true to themselves.

Review

I wanted to read this book as I enjoyed the writing in "Girl, Woman other" so much. I haven't been disappointed, this is just as well written. At times it had me actually laughing out loud. 

We meet "Barry" (74) who although he didn't go to Uni has self educated himself over the years and now can hold his own against the best of them. Except perhaps Carmel his wife, who his thumb he seems to be permanently under, whilst under her roof anyway. 

Barry has been in a secret relationship with his friend Morris since they were teenagers. After an epiphany (brought on when Carmel strikes him) he decides he's going to divorce her and finally live his own life while he still has some years left. Except Carmel is called away to Antigua to the funeral of her Father. Barry thinks it cruel to tell her he wants a divorce in the circumstances, so he will wait until she returns. Meanwhile as the "cat" is away he begins to partly live a life he's supressed all these years.

I wasn't keen at first on the chapters in which we hear from Carmel in her own voice. I was team Barry all the way. Towards the end of the book she definitely comes into her own though, and those chapters I really loved reading. I also saw the story from both sides. I did enjoy the patois and antics of Barry all through the book, he was so vividly painted. I think audio would be even better to really get the character. 

There are some equally good supporting characters in the form of his two daughters and his grandson. One of the daughters  doesn't really like him and he dotes on the other daughter. I was surprised at some of the 1970s homophobic language that came out of Barry's mouth. I can only think it was part coping mechanism and partly what he was brought up to believe.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks to borrowbox and my local library for the loan of the book to read.