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The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights
Caroline and her Dom live out their normal lives amongst the poverty, alcoholics, and street preachers of Swansea, Wales. But when Dom and his straight roommate fall in love--a passionate, secret, non-sexual love--their lives are transformed into a queer chaos of cross-dressing, gender bending and free love. Will Dom hold on to his relationship? Can religious fundamentalists be adopted as pets? And just what are The Lesbians up to? The battle between preachers and drag queens, skinheads and sex workers, boyfriend and girlfriend, is set to change the city forever.
181 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2015
10 people are currently reading
4484 people want to read
About the author
Redfern Jon Barrett
12 books167 followersRedfern Jon Barrett is author to the novels Proud Pink Sky (Bywater, 2023), an alternate history set in the world’s first gay state, and The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights, a touching comedy of polyamory and nonbinary life which was also a finalist for the Bisexual Book Awards.
Their short stories have appeared in The Sun Magazine, Passages North, Booth, Flash Fiction Online, ParSec, The Future Fire, Andromeda Spaceways, Orca, and Nature Futures. Their nonfiction has featured in Guernica, Strange Horizons, PinkNews, and Vector, as well as at the National Museum of Denmark.
Born in Sheffield, Redfern moved to Wales and gained a PhD in Literature from Swansea University (Prifysgol Abertawe). They are nonbinary queer and have campaigned for LGBTQ+ rights since they were a teenager, receiving national attention when they called for rights for polyamorous families. They have served as a judge for the 2017 Bi Book Awards, a memoir reader for the for PEN America/Fusion Award, and a first reader for Guernica. Redfern currently lives in Berlin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
May 30, 2015
'The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of Straights' is about queer life in a drab town, and features within its pages a violent homophobic attack, a white pride rally and a torched nightclub. But it's a testament to Redfern Jon Barrett's vibrant writing that the overall message is one of love, hope and happiness.
The novel introduces several young characters each with their own perspectives on getting by, ranging from stressed-out postgrads to a manic queer perfume counter assistant whose boredom and frustration get relieved first on unwitting customers, then through his own life adventures. They make friends, fall in love and fall out, and these bonds tangle up and strangle any conventional definition of what a relationship 'really' is. At the heart of these is a deep, non-sexual relationship between two heterosexual men, and Barrett's writing devotes as much seriousness and passion to this bond as any other in the book.
Witty and readable, 'Giddy Death' has something genuinely new to say and drives it through the mouths of its wonderful characters. Maybe sometimes the world around you can seem grim, but it's all about the people you're with.
The novel introduces several young characters each with their own perspectives on getting by, ranging from stressed-out postgrads to a manic queer perfume counter assistant whose boredom and frustration get relieved first on unwitting customers, then through his own life adventures. They make friends, fall in love and fall out, and these bonds tangle up and strangle any conventional definition of what a relationship 'really' is. At the heart of these is a deep, non-sexual relationship between two heterosexual men, and Barrett's writing devotes as much seriousness and passion to this bond as any other in the book.
Witty and readable, 'Giddy Death' has something genuinely new to say and drives it through the mouths of its wonderful characters. Maybe sometimes the world around you can seem grim, but it's all about the people you're with.
July 11, 2020
(English review down below)
Este libro me gustó mucho. Es una historia de amor, de aceptación y de respeto, tanto propio como de los demás. No está tan basado en un argumento complejo, sino en el desarrollo de las relaciones y la evolución y cambios de cada protagonista, además de su búsqueda de la felicidad.
Y me encantaron los personajes. Me encontré pensando en ellos aún cuando no leía, como si fueran personas que conozco en la vida real. Quizás con quien menos congenié fue con Dom, pero eso de todos modos no evitó que .
Me gusta cómo escribe este autor. tiene un sentido del humor ácido que me hizo reir unas cuantas veces, me enganchó a la historia, me enojé cuando debía y me entristecí también.
Sí hubiera preferido que la aparición de los flashforwards fuera posterior, porque spoilea el resultado del conflicto que estamos viendo en el presente y me hizo perder algo de interés. Dudé entre si bajarle un poco de nota por eso, pero el resultado final me hizo cambiar de idea.
Y éste fue mi primer encuentro con dos de los muchos pronombres neutros en inglés. Me tomó algunos capítulos acostumbrarme a los 'hir' y 'zie' pero al final los incorporé.
Lo recomiendo, sinceramente. No es quizás una historia para todo el mundo, pero si lo lees con mente abierta seguramente lo vas a disfrutar. Ya no se cuántas letras conforman la sigla LGBT+ extendida, pero puedo decir con bastante seguridad que muchas de esas letras están en este libro.
Por cierto: recibí este libro hace años en un giveaway de Goodreads First Reads y se que debería haberlo leído antes. No se si el autor alguna vez lea mi opinión, pero le pido disculpas por haber demorado tanto. La más pura verdad es que me asusté con los diálogos del principio, no tenía muy visto el slang británico en esa época y creí que el interior iba a ser igual. No lo fue. Mala mía.
------------------ 🇬🇧
I really liked this book. It's a story about love, acceptance and respect, self and from others. It's not really based on a complex plot, but on the developement of the various relationships and the evolution of the main characters, while they search for happiness.
And I loved these characters. I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn't reading, as if they were people I'd actually known in real life. Maybe the one I didn't like as much was Dom, though that didn't keep me from .
I really like this author's writing style. He has a dry sense of humor that made me laugh quite a few times, hooked me to the story, made me angry at times and even sad.
I would have prefered if the flashforwards would have appeared later in the book, they spoil the aftermath of the current conflict and that was really underwhelming. I even hesitated about lowering the rating, but the final result made me change my mind.
And this was my first encounter with neutral pronouns in english. It took me quite a few chapters to get used to the 'hir' and 'zie' but at long last I incorporated them.
I honestly recomend it. Maybe this is not a book for everyone, but if you read it with an open mind you'll most likely enjoy it. I don't know anymore how many letters form the extended LGBT+ acronym, but I'm quite sure more than a few have a spotlight in this book.
By the way: I received this book years ago on a Goodreads First Reads giveaway and I know I should have read it sooner. I don't know if the author will ever read my opinion, but I apologize to him for taking so long in doing it. The honest truth is that I got scared with the dialogues in the beginning, I wasn't very familiar with british slang back then and I thought the rest of the book was going to be like that. It wasn't. My bad.
Este libro me gustó mucho. Es una historia de amor, de aceptación y de respeto, tanto propio como de los demás. No está tan basado en un argumento complejo, sino en el desarrollo de las relaciones y la evolución y cambios de cada protagonista, además de su búsqueda de la felicidad.
Y me encantaron los personajes. Me encontré pensando en ellos aún cuando no leía, como si fueran personas que conozco en la vida real. Quizás con quien menos congenié fue con Dom, pero eso de todos modos no evitó que .
Me gusta cómo escribe este autor. tiene un sentido del humor ácido que me hizo reir unas cuantas veces, me enganchó a la historia, me enojé cuando debía y me entristecí también.
Sí hubiera preferido que la aparición de los flashforwards fuera posterior, porque spoilea el resultado del conflicto que estamos viendo en el presente y me hizo perder algo de interés. Dudé entre si bajarle un poco de nota por eso, pero el resultado final me hizo cambiar de idea.
Y éste fue mi primer encuentro con dos de los muchos pronombres neutros en inglés. Me tomó algunos capítulos acostumbrarme a los 'hir' y 'zie' pero al final los incorporé.
Lo recomiendo, sinceramente. No es quizás una historia para todo el mundo, pero si lo lees con mente abierta seguramente lo vas a disfrutar. Ya no se cuántas letras conforman la sigla LGBT+ extendida, pero puedo decir con bastante seguridad que muchas de esas letras están en este libro.
Por cierto: recibí este libro hace años en un giveaway de Goodreads First Reads y se que debería haberlo leído antes. No se si el autor alguna vez lea mi opinión, pero le pido disculpas por haber demorado tanto. La más pura verdad es que me asusté con los diálogos del principio, no tenía muy visto el slang británico en esa época y creí que el interior iba a ser igual. No lo fue. Mala mía.
------------------ 🇬🇧
I really liked this book. It's a story about love, acceptance and respect, self and from others. It's not really based on a complex plot, but on the developement of the various relationships and the evolution of the main characters, while they search for happiness.
And I loved these characters. I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn't reading, as if they were people I'd actually known in real life. Maybe the one I didn't like as much was Dom, though that didn't keep me from .
I really like this author's writing style. He has a dry sense of humor that made me laugh quite a few times, hooked me to the story, made me angry at times and even sad.
I would have prefered if the flashforwards would have appeared later in the book, they spoil the aftermath of the current conflict and that was really underwhelming. I even hesitated about lowering the rating, but the final result made me change my mind.
And this was my first encounter with neutral pronouns in english. It took me quite a few chapters to get used to the 'hir' and 'zie' but at long last I incorporated them.
I honestly recomend it. Maybe this is not a book for everyone, but if you read it with an open mind you'll most likely enjoy it. I don't know anymore how many letters form the extended LGBT+ acronym, but I'm quite sure more than a few have a spotlight in this book.
By the way: I received this book years ago on a Goodreads First Reads giveaway and I know I should have read it sooner. I don't know if the author will ever read my opinion, but I apologize to him for taking so long in doing it. The honest truth is that I got scared with the dialogues in the beginning, I wasn't very familiar with british slang back then and I thought the rest of the book was going to be like that. It wasn't. My bad.
May 2, 2016
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Redfern Jon Barrett's The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights is a genderqueer humour novel with speculative fiction elements. It gives a wonderfully witty treatment to sexual and social norms by means of clever humour and fluent storytelling. It's a fascinatingly bold and original vision of change, acceptance, love and sexuality.
Before I write more about this novel and its contents, I think that a word of warning may be in order:
It's possible that The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights may not be to everyone's liking. If you're not open-minded and acceptive about various themes and issues related to human sexuality, this novel may be quite a shocking and eye-opening reading experience for you. However, if you're open-minded and acceptive of other people and their sexuality and don't judge anyone, you'll most likely enjoy this witty story very much, because it's something unique.
To understand certain things in this novel, it's good to know what the term genderqueer means. It's a catch-all category for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine - identities which are thus outside of the gender binary and cisnormativity. (More comprehensive information about this term can easily be found on the internet.)
The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights is a combination of literary fiction and humorous fiction with LGBT and speculative fiction elements. It's a memorable and thought-provoking glimpse into various relationships ranging from heterosexual relationships to homosexual relationships.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
The events in this novel take place in Swansea, Wales. At the beginning of the story, a nightclub called Skyline burns down and all of the characters - Richard, Rutti, Dom and Caroline - witness it. When Caroline sees the fire, she suddenly has a feeling that something terrible is coming and nothing can be done to stop it... Richard and Rutti used to live together for a time, but Richard has lost his patience with Rutti and has evicted him. Dom and Caroline date happily and seem to love each other. When Dom moves into Richard's house and becomes his housemate, they begin to spend a lot of time together and get to know each other. After a while, they gradually begin to fall in love with each other...
This gradually unfolding story is partially speculative fiction, because parts of it take place in the future. The chapters that take place in the future allow readers to see what has happened to the characters and how things have changed. They provide a fascinating contrast to the other chapters.
The story is told through four different and well-portrayed characters:
- Caroline is a geography postgraduate who works as a bartender at the Tail and Tugboat. She has a boyfriend, Dom.
- Richard is a bit of a geek and likes tech stuff. He works at Customer Support and has another job in the Shelter charity shop. He doesn't have a girlfriend.
- Rutti is a gay man who works as a perfume seller. He uses such words as hir and zie. He lived with Richard, but was evicted from his house.
- Dom is Richard's housemate. He has had a girlfriend, but now he dates and loves Caroline. He's a math postgraduate.
I like the way Redfern Jon Barrett writes about these characters and their lives. He makes them realistic and interesting, because they deal with their own problems and feelings. They're not plastic characters cut out from modern Hollywood films and bland TV series.
Redfern Jon Barrett fluently navigates between the different relationships and examines how they interlink with each other. The various feelings and tensions between the characters are handled excellently from different perspectives, because each of the characters feels differently about what's going on around them.
The author exlores such issues as sexual attraction, monogamy, homophobia and romance in a surprisingly insightful and interesting way and avoids preachiness. He writes about these things as they are and lets everything develop naturally without unnecessary hurry.
The author's way of writing about sexuality is characteristic to independent speculative fiction (and also bizarro fiction). I've noticed that independent speculative fiction gives authors quite an effective tool to explore sexuality, because it allows them to write about it insightfully and intelligently without trying to please everyone.
The relationship between Richard and Dom is handled exceptionally well. The author's approach to a gradually developing love between two men feels believable and realistic, because he effortlessly develops the relationship from the first awkward feelings to a full relationship and focuses on writing about the characters' feelings. Richard and Dom's deep bromance-like relationship is interesting, because they love each other and they have to deal with their own feelings and think about their sexual identities.
It was interesting to read about how Dom's girlfriend, Caroline, reacted to the news about his relationship with Richard. Caroline's feelings and actions felt realistic and believable, because she found out that Dom loves Richard, but doesn't have sex with him.
I also enjoyed reading about Rutti, because the author had given him a unique voice. It was amusing - and at times also touching - to read about how he felt about different things and other people, because the author wrote well about his feelings and life.
Rutti's way of interacting with Chris, the Christian fundamelist, is one of the highlights of this novel. To him, Chris is like a pet that needs feeding and taking care of, because he invites Chris to stay with him and his friend, Stephanie, who's a lesbian.
This novel has a nice touch of British humour. Because I've always had a fascination for sharp and observant British humour, I liked the author's sense of humour and found it intriguing.
This novel will appeal to readers who are familiar with works by such authors as Joe Keenan, David Sedaris, Stephen Fry and Armistead Maupin. Because of all the humorous and slightly twisted elements, this novel feels almost like a fresh take on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels with a touch of speculative fiction. I think it's possible that readers who enjoy reading Margaret Atwood will find this novel interesting, because the author exhibits a few signs of Atwoodian kind of storytelling.
There's a strongly beating human heart at the core of this novel, because its message can be encapsulated by saying that regardless of our gender or sexuality, we're all entitled to hope, love, respect and happiness. There's also unflinching honesty in this novel that I found refreshing.
Redfern Jon Barrett is a good and talented author who writes fluent prose. He has his own unique voice, and he writes about difficult themes and issues in a bold and unflinching way.
Redfern Jon Barrett's The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights is one of the wittiest and most thought-provoking novels I've ever read. I like the author's direct approach to sexuality, because he writes boldly about various aspects related to sexuality and doesn't judge how people live their lives. If you enjoy reading stories about relationships, please take a look at this witty novel and give it a try, because it's something different.
Redfern Jon Barrett's The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights is a genderqueer humour novel with speculative fiction elements. It gives a wonderfully witty treatment to sexual and social norms by means of clever humour and fluent storytelling. It's a fascinatingly bold and original vision of change, acceptance, love and sexuality.
Before I write more about this novel and its contents, I think that a word of warning may be in order:
It's possible that The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights may not be to everyone's liking. If you're not open-minded and acceptive about various themes and issues related to human sexuality, this novel may be quite a shocking and eye-opening reading experience for you. However, if you're open-minded and acceptive of other people and their sexuality and don't judge anyone, you'll most likely enjoy this witty story very much, because it's something unique.
To understand certain things in this novel, it's good to know what the term genderqueer means. It's a catch-all category for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine - identities which are thus outside of the gender binary and cisnormativity. (More comprehensive information about this term can easily be found on the internet.)
The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights is a combination of literary fiction and humorous fiction with LGBT and speculative fiction elements. It's a memorable and thought-provoking glimpse into various relationships ranging from heterosexual relationships to homosexual relationships.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
The events in this novel take place in Swansea, Wales. At the beginning of the story, a nightclub called Skyline burns down and all of the characters - Richard, Rutti, Dom and Caroline - witness it. When Caroline sees the fire, she suddenly has a feeling that something terrible is coming and nothing can be done to stop it... Richard and Rutti used to live together for a time, but Richard has lost his patience with Rutti and has evicted him. Dom and Caroline date happily and seem to love each other. When Dom moves into Richard's house and becomes his housemate, they begin to spend a lot of time together and get to know each other. After a while, they gradually begin to fall in love with each other...
This gradually unfolding story is partially speculative fiction, because parts of it take place in the future. The chapters that take place in the future allow readers to see what has happened to the characters and how things have changed. They provide a fascinating contrast to the other chapters.
The story is told through four different and well-portrayed characters:
- Caroline is a geography postgraduate who works as a bartender at the Tail and Tugboat. She has a boyfriend, Dom.
- Richard is a bit of a geek and likes tech stuff. He works at Customer Support and has another job in the Shelter charity shop. He doesn't have a girlfriend.
- Rutti is a gay man who works as a perfume seller. He uses such words as hir and zie. He lived with Richard, but was evicted from his house.
- Dom is Richard's housemate. He has had a girlfriend, but now he dates and loves Caroline. He's a math postgraduate.
I like the way Redfern Jon Barrett writes about these characters and their lives. He makes them realistic and interesting, because they deal with their own problems and feelings. They're not plastic characters cut out from modern Hollywood films and bland TV series.
Redfern Jon Barrett fluently navigates between the different relationships and examines how they interlink with each other. The various feelings and tensions between the characters are handled excellently from different perspectives, because each of the characters feels differently about what's going on around them.
The author exlores such issues as sexual attraction, monogamy, homophobia and romance in a surprisingly insightful and interesting way and avoids preachiness. He writes about these things as they are and lets everything develop naturally without unnecessary hurry.
The author's way of writing about sexuality is characteristic to independent speculative fiction (and also bizarro fiction). I've noticed that independent speculative fiction gives authors quite an effective tool to explore sexuality, because it allows them to write about it insightfully and intelligently without trying to please everyone.
The relationship between Richard and Dom is handled exceptionally well. The author's approach to a gradually developing love between two men feels believable and realistic, because he effortlessly develops the relationship from the first awkward feelings to a full relationship and focuses on writing about the characters' feelings. Richard and Dom's deep bromance-like relationship is interesting, because they love each other and they have to deal with their own feelings and think about their sexual identities.
It was interesting to read about how Dom's girlfriend, Caroline, reacted to the news about his relationship with Richard. Caroline's feelings and actions felt realistic and believable, because she found out that Dom loves Richard, but doesn't have sex with him.
I also enjoyed reading about Rutti, because the author had given him a unique voice. It was amusing - and at times also touching - to read about how he felt about different things and other people, because the author wrote well about his feelings and life.
Rutti's way of interacting with Chris, the Christian fundamelist, is one of the highlights of this novel. To him, Chris is like a pet that needs feeding and taking care of, because he invites Chris to stay with him and his friend, Stephanie, who's a lesbian.
This novel has a nice touch of British humour. Because I've always had a fascination for sharp and observant British humour, I liked the author's sense of humour and found it intriguing.
This novel will appeal to readers who are familiar with works by such authors as Joe Keenan, David Sedaris, Stephen Fry and Armistead Maupin. Because of all the humorous and slightly twisted elements, this novel feels almost like a fresh take on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels with a touch of speculative fiction. I think it's possible that readers who enjoy reading Margaret Atwood will find this novel interesting, because the author exhibits a few signs of Atwoodian kind of storytelling.
There's a strongly beating human heart at the core of this novel, because its message can be encapsulated by saying that regardless of our gender or sexuality, we're all entitled to hope, love, respect and happiness. There's also unflinching honesty in this novel that I found refreshing.
Redfern Jon Barrett is a good and talented author who writes fluent prose. He has his own unique voice, and he writes about difficult themes and issues in a bold and unflinching way.
Redfern Jon Barrett's The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights is one of the wittiest and most thought-provoking novels I've ever read. I like the author's direct approach to sexuality, because he writes boldly about various aspects related to sexuality and doesn't judge how people live their lives. If you enjoy reading stories about relationships, please take a look at this witty novel and give it a try, because it's something different.
March 24, 2023
***2.5***
It was fine but likely just not for me. The characters are tiresome & infantile particularly as they were all or for the most part higher ed students or grads. Portions are written in an attempt at some sort of gender neutral pronouns which just had me rereading for clarity and eventually translating them for myself.
The story is told in a la di da fashion and things that do merit further consideration, mainly that two heterosexual men are in love but not in a sexual way, what that means, etc gets the Lifetime movie of the week treatment. The baddies exit stage left and the goodies join the cheer squad.
As always YMMV.
ps. In what I hope will become a regular feature for me I'll be reading (trying to read) a slew of things I somehow find on my bookshelves or reader. spoiler alert I bought them.
It was fine but likely just not for me. The characters are tiresome & infantile particularly as they were all or for the most part higher ed students or grads. Portions are written in an attempt at some sort of gender neutral pronouns which just had me rereading for clarity and eventually translating them for myself.
The story is told in a la di da fashion and things that do merit further consideration, mainly that two heterosexual men are in love but not in a sexual way, what that means, etc gets the Lifetime movie of the week treatment. The baddies exit stage left and the goodies join the cheer squad.
As always YMMV.
ps. In what I hope will become a regular feature for me I'll be reading (trying to read) a slew of things I somehow find on my bookshelves or reader. spoiler alert I bought them.
June 1, 2015
If dark romantic comedy were a genre, this would be it. Giddy Death is funny and vibrant, and despite its dark wit still manages to be hopeful and charming. The story follows a handful of disparate twenty-somethings living in a fading small town populated with drunks and racists, as they figure out how their relationships do (or should) work. The path they strike out on diverges from the expected, a quickly-changing situation moving from same-sex platonic love to a polyamorous trio.
The strength of the characters carries you through the ups and downs, and I left them feeling quite uplifted.
The strength of the characters carries you through the ups and downs, and I left them feeling quite uplifted.
July 9, 2015
I can't stop talking about how great this book is!
I am not a literary type, by no means, but the story was very engaging to me. The characters were very likeable and easy to relate to. Even though it took place in a small city in Wales, the cast was extremely diverse.
All types of people with an open mind will find characters here to relate to. Monogamous or polyamorous. Straight, gay, lesbian, bi, trans and so on. This book is a fun read and the love story is so heart-warming! Buy this book, now!
I am not a literary type, by no means, but the story was very engaging to me. The characters were very likeable and easy to relate to. Even though it took place in a small city in Wales, the cast was extremely diverse.
All types of people with an open mind will find characters here to relate to. Monogamous or polyamorous. Straight, gay, lesbian, bi, trans and so on. This book is a fun read and the love story is so heart-warming! Buy this book, now!
February 3, 2016
Absolutely delicious. Sweet without being cloying. Honest without being brutal. Redfern Jon Barrett steers his characters away from cliche or proselytising, instead telling of a very likeable poly trio's beginnings with wit, honesty, and just enough sass. Though it's inherently (unfortunately) subversive, the material here never strives to shock, and its challenges are gentle without ever feeling timid. A great supporting cast helps the tale along. There's even a touch of refreshingly optimistic spec fic to the book's ending.
May 28, 2024
I'm really, really pleased to announce that The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights is getting a re-edition from Amble Press! Released May 28, the new version contains updated pronouns, a foreword by me, and an afterword by the author and scholar Meg-John Barker!
https://www.bywaterbooks.com/product/...
Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read, rate, and review the book over the years. I really hope you enjoy the new edition!
https://www.bywaterbooks.com/product/...
Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read, rate, and review the book over the years. I really hope you enjoy the new edition!
February 22, 2016
This book was an interesting read. I was a bit anxious about it as I had never read any story revolved around Gays. But I was totally wrong in my assumption. The author puts across the story beautifully without bringing any Gay cliches that we see on every TV series. The characters are put forward in the manner which seemed very realistic and how actual people behave. No sparkling or glittering bullshit that many assume about Gays.
I had a bit difficulty reading at some point because of the local slang and the local language style author used for some character, but one will get hang of it as the story progress. I liked the complexity of the love affair of Dom, Caroline and Richard go through. The other characters of the story also have lots to add and are used beautifully in the whole story.
The book is not only different but entertaining too. It received this book as a giveaway long back and really regret not reading it before. Kudos to Mr. Barrett for introducing to a great read.
I had a bit difficulty reading at some point because of the local slang and the local language style author used for some character, but one will get hang of it as the story progress. I liked the complexity of the love affair of Dom, Caroline and Richard go through. The other characters of the story also have lots to add and are used beautifully in the whole story.
The book is not only different but entertaining too. It received this book as a giveaway long back and really regret not reading it before. Kudos to Mr. Barrett for introducing to a great read.
May 13, 2016
All you need is love.
It took me a while to get into the writing style, but am I glad I persevered. My life has been a similar story of inappropriate and socially unacceptable love, and I have compromised too many times, denying loves from an innate human fear of being alone. This is a story where the characters made it work, and accepted that they couldn't force love to fit a mould, as none of us should. I thank the author for rekindling my hope that I might yet find others who accept my propensity for inconvenient love.
It took me a while to get into the writing style, but am I glad I persevered. My life has been a similar story of inappropriate and socially unacceptable love, and I have compromised too many times, denying loves from an innate human fear of being alone. This is a story where the characters made it work, and accepted that they couldn't force love to fit a mould, as none of us should. I thank the author for rekindling my hope that I might yet find others who accept my propensity for inconvenient love.
June 26, 2015
Aw, I just finished reading it a few minutes ago and I feel all warm and fuzzy. This book has a special place in my heart now; the characters are all so raw and vulnerable that I couldn't help but be affected by them. They're at the most precarious place in life before they've had a chance to find themselves or build any kind of stability, and the book charts their battles to establish themselves and take control of their lives in whatever way they can.
October 7, 2015
As a not native English speaker I had some difficulties to get into the gender neutral writing.
At the beginning the reading was a bit halting.
Like a challenge and now the gender neutral pronoms add zest to the reading.
So far, so good.
***
5 stars
At the beginning the reading was a bit halting.
Like a challenge and now the gender neutral pronoms add zest to the reading.
So far, so good.
***
5 stars
October 21, 2015
The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights by Redfern Jon Barret is a beautifully written novel detailing our obsession with gender essentialism, monogamy, romantic love and sexual attraction. But what happens when we question these things? If we didn't divide people into two genders, admitted that it's possible to love more than one person at the same time, or realized that it is possible to deeply love someone, even if you are not sexually attracted to that person?What happens when we move past the rules we were taught as children?
Don't avoid the other children. Don't play with dolls. Don't be so sensitive. Don't be a wilting wallflower. Don't doodle. Don't dream. Don't wrestle other boys. Don't forget to shave. Don't kiss male friends. Men don't love men. You certainly can't love more than one at once. The rules-to-a-happy-life are the same in south Wales as anywhere else.
Happiness is boring. At least I think so. Contentment makes for the worst stories. Contended people live and die as though they never were - there is no imprint to be left by the contended. Now discontent is worth something. When we live among masses of those with whom we disagree - those we find abhorrent - that is when we fight to leave a mark, that is when we have something worth conveying. That was my life in south Wales. So I avoided who I wanted, I played with what I wished, I was as sensitive as I needed to be, I wilted and doodled and dreamed, I wrestled whomever I felt like, I didn't close-shave anywhere. But I hoped that people would kiss me and people would love me and maybe there would be more than one at once. At some point.
What is really so great about your standard, hetero-normative relationship in the first place?
A rough-looking hetero couple clamoured into me, cursing me then resuming their rage toward each other, screamed as a public spectacle - their hair was plastered t their faces with rain, their inexplicably bare arms soaking wet. Be aware I might be paraphrasing a little.
"You make me feel inadequate in my masculinity and I find the thought of you finding other men sexually attractive threatening to an ego which was damaged by a hypermasculine overbearing father."
"I retreat into a shrill media-based portrayal of hysterical womanhood as the only response I know to dealing with your insecure aggression. I'll screech over and over that I didn't sleep with anyone, protesting my innocence so I can resume my campaign of passive aggression against you, which I learned both from school and from my parents."
"I monitor the direction in which you cast your eyes when we're in public together, watching for any sign that you find anyone else physically attractive. When I feel sufficiently justified in my fear-based rage, I shall shout at you and then attack the poor individual who played no part in the gradual and inevitable breakdown of our ridiculous relationship. I shall threaten to murder anyone who is foolhardy enough to endure orgasm with you, thus proving I am a man."
"I shall cite your lack of sexual potency as a possible motivation for any possible infidelity."
"You're both a canine and a bovine, and finally you're an apparently-offensive word for a female sexual organ which has its roots in old English."
"You're a fuckin' wanker and a fuckin' stupid prick an' all," zie squawled back. They stumpled into the pub opposite. I could see only shadows inside.
Our need for certainty, knowing which path to take and how to get to the destination... whatever that might be.
I'd let my guard down. I couldn't help it, if I'm getting on with someone I instinctively trust them, and with my words and my breath and my body I want to fondle them, caress them, feel them. Yet in that city there were two types of sexual connection: the cold, unfeeling robotic motion-going single-night encounters, which chilled me like metal, or an instant monogamous homo mock-marriages which may have been softer, but which smothered and blocked out the light. Neither would nurture an organic bond, one which grew where it grew and simply went how it went. Only idiots crave certainty.
I'd let my guard down. We'd met online - of course I'd have rather'd the gradual casual chat of knowing someone-through-someone, but with homos in Swansea it was generally the internet or the gay bars. That wasn't even a choice. Zie'd seemed different.
...
I'd let my guard down. We'd lain there together, a gentle finger circling skin.
I'd talked.
Zie didn't hear.
I'd smiled and zie looked away.
I'd held hir yet zie remained rigid.
Hard. Metallic. In one moment the green shoot withered and the seeds became bitter in hard soil. I knew even before zie said that zie wasn't looking for anything serious - yet I told hir I looked for nothing - that zie needed to be by hirself - but can't we just see what happens? Can't we just let something grow, and if it withers, if it dies, then that's fine, but can't it have a chance? No words were heard and as I lay in the dark, with the glimmer of rising light outside. My limbs grew ever more heavy and leaden, mercury coursing through veins and arteries, a heavy lump of loneliness made molten and slowly flowing through me. When the sun was higher this one would leave, a few words scattered for the sake of politeness before zie went, taking a little of my hope with hir.
The courage it takes to question your own identity and self perception.
"I'm in love with you, Richard."
I'd said it.
"What do you mean 'you love me'?" he asked, looking at me like I was nuts, the fucking lunatic who had waited all night for him at the hospital. "You're straight, aren't you?"
And what could I say to that? I was scared, I didn't know if I could get it all out right or make him understand, especially when I didn't really get it myself, so I told him that I was straight, at least I only really like girls sexually, and if they weren't born a girl at least they should look like one.
"My cock likes girls, Richard. But I love you."
...
"I know how you feel. My cock doesn't like you either," and then he looked right at me and he said, "but I love you too."
The courage it takes to move beyond our norms and set ideas... and the thrill in doing so.
"If he didn't tell you he was gay or bisexual then he probably isn't," Steph replied, as calm as though we'd been forced into small talk. "I mean, he told you he's in love with a man. What else would be left to hide? It seems to me that there are two important questions here: do you love him? And could you accept him loving someone else at the same time?"
...
All of a sudden I felt awake. Things felt clear. I knew what I wanted.
"They've really got a nerve," Nomi shouted, but I wasn't going to stay and listen to her rant. Dom loved me and I loved Dom. I felt tense, I felt stiff, and more than anything I felt determined. We loved each other, and maybe Richard would change that or maybe he wouldn't, but I couldn't just leave it, I had to find out.
What's up with our desire to "own" our romantic partners anyway?
"No," Steph replied. We can't know what will make us happy until we do it. It's not possible to make a conscious choice between degrees of happiness. What if this makes her more happy? Besides, half of you are socialists, the other half pretty much anarchists."
"So?"
"So," Steph continued, resuming her firm decorum, "What sort of world do you really want to see, anyway? Isn't it a little hypocritical to complain about property and ownership and then demand to own the person you love? Isn't sharing what it's all about? Kitty, you're a vegan - is it wrong to own animals, but okay to own people?"
"That's different," Kitty replied. "People can consent, the ownership is mutual."
"But uninformed consent isn't consent," Steph stated, growing a little wild. I didn't know she felt so strongly about all of this. "Most people don't know there's any other way. What if there is?"
And what is up with all of our labels?
"So how am I heterosexual, but not straight?" Dom asked me. "What do you mean?"
"Because," I told hir, "gay is a culture formed around homosexuality, and straight is a culture formed around heterosexuality."
Dom gave an uncertain nod and glanced back toward the kitchen. Caroline's other roommate flickered briefly in the doorway, a sour look on hir face, before vanishing.
"Think of it this way: you could be homosexual, or have a penis, or you might have an impairment - say you're deaf. You have these states, and then you have the social shit we pile on top of those - in these cases being 'gay', or a 'man', or 'disabled'. So if you're homosexual people wind up assuming you're gay, but all homosexual activity means is that you're a man who wants to fuck other men. Being gay means a whole lot more than that: that you want to build your life with a man and not women, that you fall in love with men and not women, and a whole load of other crap."
"Don't forget the lesbians," Steph said.
"Yes, right, thanks Steph, helpful." I pulled a face at hir and she leant over and punched me on the arm. "Anyway," I continued, "so your sex drive is towards women, not men, which makes you hetero-" Dom looked uncomfortable at the mention of hir sex drive, whilst Richard leant forward, "-but your romantic drive, that obviously lies with both men and women. If you were straight then both would be purely towards females - women would be the ones you fucked and the ones you love. That's what I mean, that a homosexual doesn't have to be gay, a heterosexual isn't necessarily straight. That's how you can wind up hetero, but not straight."
This and so much more is explored in The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights by Redfern Jon Barrett. I didn't think it possible, but I actually enjoyed this just as much, and quite possibly more than Forget Yourself - the author's previous book. If you are at all open to have your pre-existing ideas and concepts questioned I highly recommend it - if nothing else, you might just fall in love with Barrett's way with words.
Redferd Jon Barrett read my review of Forget Yourself and offered me a free copy of The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of the Straights. I was thrilled to get the opportunity, and of course this review is still my honest opinion of the novel.
October 3, 2017
I have to say the title put me off at first - and, well, it is a good indicator of author's sense of humor, which doesn't quite resonate with mine. But fair enough, I'm here for non-normative relationships, even if they concern unlikable/implausible characters. I'm here for kinda casual use of queer pronouns and petty gay scene drama. I'll even withstand the endless reminders how everything around the characters is worn down, shabby, cheap, and ugly. In the end, it's an okay novel which doesn't reach its full potential.
October 2, 2015
In Swansea, Wales, a nightclub burns down. A seemingly small incident, but inflaming a section of the community keen on white pride and general bigotry. Word flies while the club burns and Dom, his girlfriend Caroline and flatmate Richard, Richard's sort-of-friend Rutti, and their friends are all drawn to the flames. To each of them, the destruction seems to portent a significant shift in their lives. Can each of these friends weather the coming storm?
The story:
Rutti and Richard have been living together for a long time, but Richard has reached the end of his tether with Rutti, who keeps trying to fix Richard up with girls. Dom and Caroline are seemingly dating in perfect happiness, but when Dom moves in with Richard, the two housemates start spending all their time together, and Caroline becomes concerned. Dom's friend Zeebedee and Caroline's housemate Nomi are dating as well, and the two of them think Dom's in a secret gay relationship with Richard and try to convince Caroline. Meanwhile, Rutti moves in with his friend Steph, who doesn't appreciate Rutti's desire to save every stray who crosses his path. But Rutti has his own problems. Can High Hopes, drag queen and enigma, help get Rutti on the right path?
The style:
The Giddy Death of the Gays and Strange Demise of Straights is exceptionally written. The story is told by several different characters, each taking their turn at narrative, and flashes back and forwards through time, giving the reader a glimpse into the future for each of these relationships. The emphasis of the story is very much on navigating and interpreting relationships through the lens of contemporary society, the attempted rejection of preconceived notions about what that society believes to be right, and the struggle to find happiness within these parameters. Obviously, when an author writes about pertinent social issues like LGBT issues, there can sometimes be the temptation to sacrifice good writing and solid story lines for the sake of getting one's point across. Thankfully, Redfern Jon Barrett didn't do that. He lets the characters inform the reader just by being themselves, and the result is not only thought-provoking, but also a great read.
Who is this book for?
The Giddy Death of the Gays and Strange Demise of Straights should be mandatory reading, because the subject matter is important thematically and so well conveyed. I would certainly recommend it for anyone looking for LGBT literature, but absolutely anyone else looking for a love/coming-of-age story.
The story:
Rutti and Richard have been living together for a long time, but Richard has reached the end of his tether with Rutti, who keeps trying to fix Richard up with girls. Dom and Caroline are seemingly dating in perfect happiness, but when Dom moves in with Richard, the two housemates start spending all their time together, and Caroline becomes concerned. Dom's friend Zeebedee and Caroline's housemate Nomi are dating as well, and the two of them think Dom's in a secret gay relationship with Richard and try to convince Caroline. Meanwhile, Rutti moves in with his friend Steph, who doesn't appreciate Rutti's desire to save every stray who crosses his path. But Rutti has his own problems. Can High Hopes, drag queen and enigma, help get Rutti on the right path?
The style:
The Giddy Death of the Gays and Strange Demise of Straights is exceptionally written. The story is told by several different characters, each taking their turn at narrative, and flashes back and forwards through time, giving the reader a glimpse into the future for each of these relationships. The emphasis of the story is very much on navigating and interpreting relationships through the lens of contemporary society, the attempted rejection of preconceived notions about what that society believes to be right, and the struggle to find happiness within these parameters. Obviously, when an author writes about pertinent social issues like LGBT issues, there can sometimes be the temptation to sacrifice good writing and solid story lines for the sake of getting one's point across. Thankfully, Redfern Jon Barrett didn't do that. He lets the characters inform the reader just by being themselves, and the result is not only thought-provoking, but also a great read.
Who is this book for?
The Giddy Death of the Gays and Strange Demise of Straights should be mandatory reading, because the subject matter is important thematically and so well conveyed. I would certainly recommend it for anyone looking for LGBT literature, but absolutely anyone else looking for a love/coming-of-age story.
June 2, 2015
The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights is a wonderful tale chronicling the adventures of a wide variety of fascinating characters. Narrating through the perspectives of various main characters, the reader encounters a multitude of situations in Swansea, ranging from homophobic violence, the unifying event of a terrible nightclub on fire, and the discovery of a love that none of the characters expected. The writing style is quite dark and comedic, interspersed with moments of complication and pure joy.
Giddy Death tells the story of a same-sex relationship developing in a most unlikely circumstance, with its own complications to boot. The endearing Richard, as straight as straight can be, in his own mind, must confront his own sexuality in order to reconcile the feelings that he experiences towards his new flatmate Dom. The complication comes around when Dom's girlfriend Carolyn confronts the men about the time they spend together. The growth of their relationship is organic and engrossing, leading to a beautiful polyamorous relationship.
The Giddy Death is filled with complex characters, each with their own distinct methods of well-written narration, and weaves a detailed web of life in Swansea, Wales. The beauty of polyamorous relationships shines through as the characters discover that there is no need to limit the amount of love in the world. I highly recommend the Giddy Death to all readers with an interest in polyamory, queer life, or just an excellent piece of fiction with many perspectives. Just as the characters discover, life is better when you surround yourself with the people you love.
Giddy Death tells the story of a same-sex relationship developing in a most unlikely circumstance, with its own complications to boot. The endearing Richard, as straight as straight can be, in his own mind, must confront his own sexuality in order to reconcile the feelings that he experiences towards his new flatmate Dom. The complication comes around when Dom's girlfriend Carolyn confronts the men about the time they spend together. The growth of their relationship is organic and engrossing, leading to a beautiful polyamorous relationship.
The Giddy Death is filled with complex characters, each with their own distinct methods of well-written narration, and weaves a detailed web of life in Swansea, Wales. The beauty of polyamorous relationships shines through as the characters discover that there is no need to limit the amount of love in the world. I highly recommend the Giddy Death to all readers with an interest in polyamory, queer life, or just an excellent piece of fiction with many perspectives. Just as the characters discover, life is better when you surround yourself with the people you love.
September 26, 2015
Well, I enjoyed this more than the blurb led me to expect. (For one thing, the phrase 'Caroline and her Dom' is very misleading; it should probably just say 'Caroline and Dom' or 'Caroline and her boyfriend Dom', because 'her Dom' strongly suggests D/s to me, rather than just... a bloke called Dom. And undertones of BDSM have me dreading a Fifty Shades-style debacle before I even begin.)
I dunno. I am so conflicted about this book, but not really in a 'Ooh, it challenged my assumptions and really made me think!' kind of way. Every character is either appallingly irritating or unbelievably saintly (or both) and I got no sense of reality from any of then, despite the author's attempts do super-realistic slice-of-life-in-grimy-Swansea type stuff. Rutti fell in to the appallingly irritating category. Zie was just so preachy and airy-fairy impractical and UGH. It isn't actually at all progressive to use gender-neutral pronouns if a) you continue to gender people in every other way when you talk about them, and b) you do it to people who actively don't want you to refer to them as 'zie', and who you know damn well want you to call them 'he' or 'she'. And Richard, Dom and Caroline were a bit sickeningly accepting and lovey-dovey and I didn't think anyone did nearly enough 'Help, what is happening, what does this mean?' introspection (although I am perhaps too much given to introspection, so maybe not). Nomi was completely unbearable - I got no indication, other than 'Stockholm Syndrome', why Caroline would continue to share a house with her.
On another, more positive hand, it was super nice to see tons of casual queer and poly representation, and there was nothing particularly bad about it. It just... didn't particularly stir me in any way.
I dunno. I am so conflicted about this book, but not really in a 'Ooh, it challenged my assumptions and really made me think!' kind of way. Every character is either appallingly irritating or unbelievably saintly (or both) and I got no sense of reality from any of then, despite the author's attempts do super-realistic slice-of-life-in-grimy-Swansea type stuff. Rutti fell in to the appallingly irritating category. Zie was just so preachy and airy-fairy impractical and UGH. It isn't actually at all progressive to use gender-neutral pronouns if a) you continue to gender people in every other way when you talk about them, and b) you do it to people who actively don't want you to refer to them as 'zie', and who you know damn well want you to call them 'he' or 'she'. And Richard, Dom and Caroline were a bit sickeningly accepting and lovey-dovey and I didn't think anyone did nearly enough 'Help, what is happening, what does this mean?' introspection (although I am perhaps too much given to introspection, so maybe not). Nomi was completely unbearable - I got no indication, other than 'Stockholm Syndrome', why Caroline would continue to share a house with her.
On another, more positive hand, it was super nice to see tons of casual queer and poly representation, and there was nothing particularly bad about it. It just... didn't particularly stir me in any way.
September 18, 2016
The back blurb described this book as humour, but for me it was a beautifully touching emotional ride. Poignant, sometimes sad and very relatable, but ultimately full of hope. It was about a group of people living on the edge of society's conventions and suffering rejection, violence and self doubt. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone interested in bisexuality, pan sexuality or big lives lived in small traditional towns.
July 23, 2016
This book is so joyous. It's the first book I've read with a poly relationship at the centre. It's a story about multi-dimensional queer life, finding yourself when you're stuck in a town with no hope, and finding that hope through love.
Want to read
September 28, 2015Because Jason likes the first page.
November 1, 2020
loved this. read it all in one go. the interwoven "future" is really interesting. loved all the characters, too. highly recommend.
January 28, 2022
Bought this because of the polyam relationship. I loved it! The story is great and really enjoyable. I loved all the characters. And it feels real
May 9, 2017
Bonus points for unique. This book didn't need them, however. It was at times hilarious, poignant, and thought provoking. Add in a bunch of individual characters, realistically flawed, that I actually adored and rooted for. I liked all of them, in their own flawed way (this never happens).
A lot of reviews mention it is (at least partially) speculative lgbtq fiction, but I don't really know what they mean by that. It is a well written, unique story, from 4 distinct point of views. It is linear, but with little snippets from the future sprinkled throughout. It's a cute story, well-written, nothing too graphic, nothing that feels it is for "shock value". Just a simple, quiet, little story about true love.
The characters all have their own voices, their own style. You often are privy to each situation through multiple perspectives -- which is fantastic and at times hilarious. And most surprisingly, they are all likable! No one is too whiny ('cept maybe Dom... but it doesn't last long), no one is overly inconsistent or stupid. They are just living their lives as ordinary, well-intentioned people.
The book isn't perfect, but the minor and very few imperfections don't all total even half a star, so 5 stars it is.
A lot of reviews mention it is (at least partially) speculative lgbtq fiction, but I don't really know what they mean by that. It is a well written, unique story, from 4 distinct point of views. It is linear, but with little snippets from the future sprinkled throughout. It's a cute story, well-written, nothing too graphic, nothing that feels it is for "shock value". Just a simple, quiet, little story about true love.
The characters all have their own voices, their own style. You often are privy to each situation through multiple perspectives -- which is fantastic and at times hilarious. And most surprisingly, they are all likable! No one is too whiny ('cept maybe Dom... but it doesn't last long), no one is overly inconsistent or stupid. They are just living their lives as ordinary, well-intentioned people.
The book isn't perfect, but the minor and very few imperfections don't all total even half a star, so 5 stars it is.
June 15, 2018
My first book with gender neutral pronouns. Glimpse into polyamory. Especially fun as a listen to get the Welsh accent.
Read
September 21, 2020This was certainly an interesting story. I read it for a class, and it definitely has some interesting commentary on queer culture.
September 14, 2017
It’s no coincidence this novel of rebirth begins with a nightclub conflagration, for all four point of view characters here must destroy something to rebuild it. Despite the multiple points of view, this story about gender fluidity and polyamorous relationships, flows logically. Much has been made in other reviews of a few jumps to the future, and it’s true the first is jarring, but the change in point of view is interesting, and I found myself looking forward to them. Interesting read that will make you think.
September 1, 2016
Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. A story set in Swansea, Wales, the book is essentially about relationships and how they are perceived. We cannot help who we fall in love with, or if in fact we are capable of loving more than one person at the same time. There is humour and fun in the book and a great story is also told.
November 10, 2016
What a read when Dom, Richard, and Caroline attempt to have a complicated polyamorous arrangement. Steph, , Craig, Rutti, and numerous minor players contribute to this fascinating, and original story.
Straights, Gays, Lesbians, cross dressers, faeries, Nazi thugs are a great mix of characters that make this a story like no other.
One of the books for 2016 from Redfern Jon Barrett.
Straights, Gays, Lesbians, cross dressers, faeries, Nazi thugs are a great mix of characters that make this a story like no other.
One of the books for 2016 from Redfern Jon Barrett.
November 22, 2018
A love epic spanning decades that challenges the skepticism around homoromanticism, homosexuality, bisexuality, sexual fluidity, and polyamory. It seems like much to extravagant a title at first glance, but it’s title in a way helps you prepare for the story of the book. I love how the girl wasn’t just tossed aside as oft happens in the stories but was still equally loved and respected!
October 23, 2015
Quite FUN!
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