A Good Start, Considering

by Peter Ryde

As the Second World War comes to an end, an eleven-year-old London boy finds himself alone in the world. Alan Carey lost his parents in an air raid, and is taken into Barton House, a gaunt Victorian children's home where the staff range from hostile to vicious. Soon Alan falls prey to systematic sexual abuse from the sadistic Jacko, with ensuing confusion and shame. The teenage brother of a schoolfriend offers him love and affection, but the adult world soon comes between them, and even conspires to cast Alan as the guilty seducer. In just twelve months, a bright and sociable boy learns that no grown-up can be trusted, and settles instead for a fierce and reclusive independence.Writing in a spare and elegant language, Peter Ryde conveys the authentic voice of a young boy struggling to survive in a desperate situation.

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[A.V. Shener · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been ten years since I read this book.
Ten years, and I still think about it every once in a while.
I wish to know more about this writer. He only wrote this book from what I can tell, and that's a shame.

"A Good Start, Considering", is one of those rare books that I can undoubtedly classified as a masterpiece. It's not available as an ebook, and today I would probably not have gone out of my way to get a hold of it, and that is a true shame.

If you are able to get a hold of this little tale, please do yourself the favor of giving it a try.
Who knows, maybe you'll still think about it ten years later as well.

[Liam Ostermann]

One of those early Gay Men's Press books which I couldn't resist and may turn out to be a real gem - GMP published some first rate books and even those that are less then brilliant have a quality and importance way above most of the fiction published in thee UK at the time.

I am confident of not being disappointed when I get round to reading it.