True to its title, this novel traffics in threes. Alternating between three periods, with three main characters, it proceeds in chapters devoted to each. Jack’s story begins in the 1890s, Colin in the 1950s and David in the 1980s. Not until very late in the novel do you learn all of the connections among the characters, though there are revelations throughout the book.
Moises Kaufman wrote a play many years ago, “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde,” that was entirely based on actual quotes, verbatim courtroom testimony and transcripts. Everything was true, with little or no literary license. Kemp fictionalizes the story of Wilde, yet it seems every bit as true as Kaufmann’s approach.
There is a lot of sex. partly because many of the characters are members of the oldest profession but also because it reflects on the different eras in important ways central to the narrative. Also, it is fun to read about sex. The motivation for Jack to become a whore is straightforward. “When you have nothing to begin with, you only stand to gain.”
Colin is an artist. Many of the models who pose for the drawing classes are whores on the side. Even in his previous work in advertising, Colin’s boss would bring in models after work for the sake of improving his drawing skills.
David’s work as a porn actor and prostitute is more directly out of necessity. By the 1990s, the stigma had diminished considerably but the psychological toll is still inevitable. David thinks that whoring diminished his chances of intimacy. The book does not take a moralistic view of the characters’ work but rather addresses the joys and pitfalls of anyone falling in love, engaging in sex and the vulnerabilities inherent in both.
The stories in the 1890s and 1950s seem filthier in the environment of the distant past. Just more illicit, I suppose.
Peck’s afterword provides a better synopsis of the themes, character development and plot lines than any reviewer could write. For heavens sake, do not read it before the story. Save it for the very end and determine if you grasped what the author wanted to create in this excellent work. Best to be vague in any review of this novel so that the plot twists are much more satisfactory when revealed.
The book deserves much more attention in the U.S. Read it and tell all your smart friends about your discovery.
- LONDON TRIPTYCH by JONATHAN KEMP
- US EDITION www.arsenalpulp.com
- Available from AMAZON.COM
REVIEW: STEPHEN COYQueerguru Contributor STEPHEN COY has been an avid reader all his (very long) life ? and is finally putting his skills to good use. He lives in Provincetown full time with his husband Jim, having finally given up the bright lights of Boston and now haunts the streets mumbling to himself that no one reads anymore …
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Labels: 2018, book review, culture, Stephen Coy
