Ulster Alien

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful surprise!
Review: As a coming out story, this is one of the best I've read. What it captures so well is that period when you know you like guys but 'gay' and 'homosexual' hasn't attached itself to your view of yourself. The gradual evolution of Matt's self-awareness is beautifully presented as he interacts with his world. The author draws you into Matt's struggles; you identify and feel with him...and it's psychologically authentic, especially in the closing chapter. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: The past is a nearby country
Review: I'm not ashamed to say that as a bisexual young man still half-closeted, I always tend to feel guilty after reading coming out stories. Well, here's the exception, and the reason is that it is above all a love story set against the background of a society in turmoil. So much of Matt and Danny's experiences seem familiar, that at times I found myself thinking this could be anywhere. But then somebody's house is torch, some bomb kills innocent people, some marching season sets in with all the medieval pageantry I'm only used to in historical novels. You can't help caring for the characters, and how life's tides keep pulling them apart. It's the sort of gripping storyline that begs for more - but even standing by itself I'd say it was masterfully accomplished.

Rating:
Summary: The past is a nearby country
Review: I'm not ashamed to say that as a bisexual young man still half-closeted, I always tend to feel guilty after reading coming out stories. Well, here's the exception, and the reason is that it is above all a love story set against the background of a society in turmoil. So much of Matt and Danny's experiences seem familiar, that at times I found myself thinking this could be anywhere. But then somebody's house is torch, some bomb kills innocent people, some marching season sets in with all the medieval pageantry I'm only used to in historical novels. You can't help caring for the characters, and how life's tides keep pulling them apart. It's the sort of gripping storyline that begs for more - but even standing by itself I'd say it was masterfully accomplished.

Rating:
Summary: A distinctive blend of romantic and political intrigue.
Review: Of all the books I've read in recent years that address the coming-out process, the finest is Ulster Alien. Beyond the issue of sexual self-discovery, which the novel explores admirably, the book also offers a glimpse into Ireland's turbulent, convoluted political situation. In a very real sense, then, it provides an unadorned lesson in modern Irish history, and for this reason was especially valuable to a non-Irish reader like myself having only limited knowledge of that nation's political state of affairs. The novel's characters are also true to life, as well as likeable, and the pace, brisk. In all, Ulster Alien is a warm, absorbing, and edifying book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the coming-out process or in Northern Ireland politics during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Rating:
Summary: A distinctive blend of romantic and political intrigue.
Review: Of all the books I've read in recent years that address the coming-out process, the finest is Ulster Alien. Beyond the issue of sexual self-discovery, which the novel explores admirably, the book also offers a glimpse into Ireland's turbulent, convoluted political situation. In a very real sense, then, it provides an unadorned lesson in modern Irish history, and for this reason was especially valuable to a non-Irish reader like myself having only limited knowledge of that nation's political state of affairs. The novel's characters are also true to life, as well as likeable, and the pace, brisk. In all, Ulster Alien is a warm, absorbing, and edifying book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the coming-out process or in Northern Ireland politics during the latter half of the twentieth century.