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Sucking Sherbet Lemons

Michael Carson

3.69 · Rating details · 258 ratings · 11 reviews

The classic and classy gay comedy about how Benson comes out after many experiences first in the garage where the gear he is interested is not mechanical or chemical. Then he is sent to learn to be a monk which makes him a permanent temptation for the older brothers who lust for fresh meat in a most unBiblical way. A great book with a new introduction by Simon Callow.

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published August 1st 1989 by Black Swan (first published August 12th 1988)

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· 258 ratings · 11 reviews

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Sep 11, 2009 James Henderson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-fiction

Although its theme may sound forbiddingly serious, an English adolescent comes to terms with his homosexuality while simultaneously sloughing off the hair-shirt of a pious Catholic education in this very funny first novel. Fat and unhappy, besotted with guilt and furtive sexual longings, Michael Benson is growing up in a working-class neighborhood in a city on the northwestern coast of England in the early sixties. A 14-year-old compulsive bed wetter, Benson makes up for a dreary existence with ...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Robert rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Martin Benson starts the book at 12-13 and is firmly within the Catholic faith's grip as he goes to meetings of the "rude club" where "Eric," and "Bruno," and himself have mutual masturbation sessions. Benson sees his first ejaculation in the form of Bruno's and comes to want to know more about other men. He starts to question if he is like the other boys at the all-boys Catholic school he goes to. "Surely, I am the homo" he admits to himself as the other boys taunting of him starts to make him Martin Benson starts the book at 12-13 and is firmly within the Catholic faith's grip as he goes to meetings of the "rude club" where "Eric," and "Bruno," and himself have mutual masturbation sessions. Benson sees his first ejaculation in the form of Bruno's and comes to want to know more about other men. He starts to question if he is like the other boys at the all-boys Catholic school he goes to. "Surely, I am the homo" he admits to himself as the other boys taunting of him starts to make him feel like he's going to hell for his sexual desires.

So, Benson goes to the monastery of St. Finbars at 14-15 and to quote the book "Alas, St. Finbars is full of temptation as the finishing school he had left behind." "Brother Michael," a brother in the service of the Catholic faith, is unhappy with his life of service and is questioning his faith. However, he makes increasingly sexual perverse observations to Benson after feeling Benson's erection in the garden that Benson was tending to. Everytime Benson is invited to go to the "rubbish dump" with Brother Michael, he refuses; in part to his life of service in the Catholic service and in part in defiance of his homosexual nature. However, "Brother Ninian" his "particular friend" (who is possibly a homosexual like Benson? They held hands and Benson told Ninian they had to stop doing that, it's never stated by the book... implied, maybe, but never concrete) goes with "Brother Michael" to the rubbish dump where "the only thing he did was pinch my bottom, honest" when pressed by Benson's questioning of it. Benson is thrown out of the monastery/Catholic service after lying to protect "Brother Michael" who went with "Brother Ninian." "It was I that tempted Brother Michael to go to the rubbish dump" Benson says.

(I should note here I have no idea why he does this and can't put myself in his shoes in this case. Brother Michael was trying to get him kicked out of the service and Benson rebuffed his advances pretty willingly until this point, but I guess that would've been the end of Benson's story and transformation if this didn't happen, oh well... carrying on...)

Benson, now 16-17 returns to the finishing school he left behind. He meets "Andy"/"Andrea" who for lack of tact gives him Oral Sex for the first time the same day as President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. This confirms Benson's suspensions of his homosexuality while at the same time starts to bring about change in Benson's attitudes toward Catholicism and his homosexuality. Benson meets "Clitherow," a fellow student and self-admitted "agnostic bi-sexual" at the school that further quickens Benson's change from being fully in the bosom of the Catholic church to being unhappy with it's doctrines. Together within the final eight pages they go to a orgy that is being thrown by one of Clitherow's "homosexual contacts." It's admitted by Clitherow that he has never had sexual relations with other men, but has felt a girl up at a high-school party before. Benson has things done to him in the dark of the orgy as does Clitherow and Benson also does sexual favors (oral, basically) for Clitherow. They return to Clitherow's home where Benson finds out his mother has fallen ill.

The illness is never stated, and eventually his mother (who is having trouble breathing) dies at the hospital in a coma that day after an operation that put her in a more weakened state.

The end of the book basically has Benson's father packing up his mothers stuff and carrying it away to the "Sisters"/nuns of the Catholic service. Benson takes back the compact he bought for his mother that Christmas not even a month before and a month after the Kennedy Assassination. Anyway, Benson sleeps with the compact that night and admits all his feelings and his confirmation of his homosexuality to the compact. Hoping his mother would be alright with his changing feelings to life.

His dad goes for a walk soon after, and Benson dances (like he did at the start of the book) to music in front of a window that he doesn't cover the blinds for (like he did at the start of the book), accepting his homosexuality and not caring who sees him dancing at this point/not caring who sees him for who he is.

A side-note: Jennifer's review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) stops midway through the book. The last quarter of the book is Benson finally evolving from strict Catholic to seeing the errors of strict Catholic dogma and accepting that maybe he isn't as religious as he thought. He does *NOT* think "what I'm doing is wrong, and I'm going to do it anyway." He does, for a moment but after meeting Clitherow this firmly changes with the reading of Sarte and Jean Genet, recommended to him by Clitherow. Double-so after meeting Clitherow's parents who admit they share the same views Clitherow does in regards to Catholic dogma and it's nonacceptance (for 1960) of contraceptive use in sex for population planning and other such issues. It's at this point that Benson doesn't care if he is or isn't a Catholic (for the record, he feels his faith has lapsed/left him like "Andy" admits in a second encounter with him at Andy's home). He's fine with just being himself and accepting his homosexuality.

The book's ending leaves a little to be desired: Benson's dad knows the reason why he left St. Finbar, after being told the reason by the priest. Benson, at the time, is embarrassed (and angry at the priest) and lies; "It was a one time thing and in the past" paraphrasing. This is part of the shame of accepting your homosexuality for most people and them not wanting to admit it to their parents.

However, after Benson's acceptance and Benson's mothers death, it leaves the hanging question of "does Benson's dad know his sons homosexuality is really true?" Something I hope the second novel, "Stripping Penguins Bare" answers.

Overall, I read the book based on Jennifer's review of it including an orgy expecting it to be a divisive and/or offensive novel. But I find it to be a decent "coming out" story of a males homosexuality even in modern times. Double so with it's focus on faith and conflicting thoughts with the fact that Catholicism finds "sodomy to be a sin." Something that Benson has to grapple with in fear of being damned to hell for all eternity while he is still strongly in the Catholic camp.

It's a shame the second and third novel weren't reprinted with the "fourth Benson novel"/Benson at Sixty being released in 2010. I'll have to hope that ILL's or bookstores in the future have a copy of them both, given they've been out of print for a while. I do want to see more of Benson's adventure/life now. ...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Sarah rated it it was amazing

I love this book, it is wonderfully childlike, vivid and funny. I can read it again and again, beautiful.

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Aug 23, 2014 Ghazzawi rated it really liked it

Light and comical. Rich in religious Irish culture. Still relatable for those struggling with their sexuality within the confines of religious conditioning.

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Dec 13, 2010 David rated it it was amazing

This most hilariously touching and poignant coming-out, coming-of-age story I've ever read. ...more

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Aug 21, 2018 Hugh rated it really liked it

Bruno's in the garage... ...more

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Jan 31, 2018 Charlotte rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The last fifty pages are by far the best but I wouldn’t say are worth the first 220.

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Dec 31, 2016 Joyce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: glbt, queer, gay, gay-friendly, coming-out, british-fiction, great-britain, series, coming-of-age

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 06, 2012 Mandy rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2012

Okay, 2.5 stars, though the writing deserves more, the writing was lovely. It's what was being written about that I didn't enjoy. I'm sure there is a market for books full of descriptions of children having consentual sex, but I am just not in that market. Actually there was never a point at which I thought that I would stop reading, even when two boys attend an orgy, because I was immersed in the story, It is after I have put the book down, when the power of the writing has faded, that I feel d ...more

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May 31, 2012 Jenny Roth marked it as abandoned · review of another edition

Recommended to Jenny by: Publisher's Weekly review

I can't fairly rate this book, since I didn't read very far into it. Let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea. Maybe I was tricked by the citrus-themed title, but I was expecting something similar to Oranges are Not the Only Fruit: a coming-of-age tale about a child grappling with the equally confusing worlds of sexuality and religion, complicated by his discovery of his own homosexuality. But from what I read Benson's ideas about Catholicism and sexuality were pretty clear-cut: what I'm doing is ...more

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Jul 04, 2014 Melissa rated it really liked it

Strange, strange book....

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About Michael Carson

Michael Carson

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Michael Carson is the pen name of British author Michael Wherly. He is best known for his Benson trilogy of novels, about a young man growing up Catholic and homosexual.