Lovers and Losers

by Paul Burston

Steve used to be a winner. Five consecutive Top Ten hits, a haircut that was imitated by thousands of teenagers across the country, and a coke habit that was little short of legendary. Of course this was back in the 80s, when Steve was part of pop duo A Boy and His Diva. Before Katrina, the other half of the duo, came home to find Steve in bed with her boyfriend Mikey...Now in his 40s, Steve is determined to give things another go. There's a new reality TV show on Channel 4, and Steve thinks this could be the ideal opportunity to relaunch the band. There's just one problem. Steve and Katrina haven't spoken for years. Meanwhile Katrina is married with a kid, and has very little interest in rekindling the dreams of all those years ago. But Mikey was the love of her life, so when Steve comes knocking on her door, his arrival reopens old wounds and raises some very uncomfortable questions...Paul Burston's third novel is a wise, witty and evocative novel about the decade of excess, and its legacy.

Genres: LGBT

Paperback

First published April 5, 2007

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthony & Katy meet in Pontins, in Wales, in the 70s and quickly become inseparable - he’s gay and influenced by Bowie, she’s a typical outsider. They stick together through the punk revolution and the Blitz kids and then, just in time for the New Romantics movement, discover musical talent and, as A Boy & His Diva, take on the world. Written in two-timelines (70s through to the early 80s and present day), this is generally good fun, with plenty of period detail (though a little more research wouldn’t have gone amiss - Star Wars, for example, opened here in late 1977, not during the summer) and a real feel for 70s/80s music. Having said that, it takes its time setting the scene and then everything feels as if it gets rushed towards the end - what breaks up the band is told in an almost off-hand way, yet the whole of one timeline has been building to it. In the present day, Katrina/Katy is preparing the funeral of her friend, Mark, along with his mother and the family ties - which the writer tries to present as a surprise - are blindingly obvious from the start. Tony/Anthony, in the present, is being lined up to star in a reality TV show which is dealt with as if the writer had lost interest and a big plot-twist, clearly telegraphed earlier, is dealt with by a character who appears to have been introduced purely to set the climax off. Worth a read for the first half (and “past timeline”) alone, this is unfortunately let down by the rushed nature of the ending.

[Trashpalace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Così come nel caso del precedente Shameless, non si può certo dire che i libri di Burston (la cui occupazione principale è quella di giornalista) siano dei capolavori della letteratura, ma è innegabile che siano scorrevoli e accattivanti.
In questo romanzo, ad esempio, più che dalle vicende dei protagonisti, il lettore (soprattutto se della mia età) si ritrova nostalgicamente catturato da un excursus delle tendenze musicali degli ultimi anni '70 e prima metà degli '80.

[Jacqueline King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit like an eighties discography, but quite entertaining, in a light way.

[Ange Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Reminds me of my youth and possibilities!

[Kevan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good bit of retro to the 80's!