Lust in London in Q&A with S.L. Danielson

Feb 26, 2010 Elisa Rolle added it

I have a theme tag in my reviews that is “Virgins… at least in one way”; it’s obviously a fun tag, but I mainly use it for those stories dealing with an usually young boy dealing with his first same-sex sexual experiences. It doesn’t mean that he is a real virgin, most of the time the boy arrives from an heterosexual tentative past, and now he is coming out to his real true.

Lust in London instead is a pure “Virgin” themed novel, without the necessary specification of the same-sex relationship. I have a theme tag in my reviews that is “Virgins… at least in one way”; it’s obviously a fun tag, but I mainly use it for those stories dealing with an usually young boy dealing with his first same-sex sexual experiences. It doesn’t mean that he is a real virgin, most of the time the boy arrives from an heterosexual tentative past, and now he is coming out to his real true.

Lust in London instead is a pure “Virgin” themed novel, without the necessary specification of the same-sex relationship. Alex is 21 years old and at his first experience far from home; a good student and a bit ahead of his time, he is spending six months in London to specialize his Law degree. The experience seems perfect, he is sharing an house with 2 other American students, and he is happy to welcome any novelty he can expect. I think Alex is maybe a bit exhilarated by this sudden freedom and maybe dazzled by all the chances he has around. Alex has always believed that, with his studies ended, he would have found a good man and started a long term relationship. He would have been happy and good, and the ugliness of the world would never have touched him. Alex is a bit naive.

When he meets Mason on a pub, Alex falls over heels in “love” with the man. Alex doesn’t know what love is and Mason maybe is even a bit flattered that a cute young boy like Alex is behaving like that, talking of being boyfriends and being always ready to meet him at his own snapping fingers. I don’t think Mason is a negative character, I think he profits, as any normal man would do, of what Alex was offering. Then if you consider Alex’s innocence, and his obvious inexperience, maybe Mason could have been a little more cautious, but well, no one is saying that Mason is perfect.

While friends are trying to warn Alex that he is doing a big mistake, in particular his roommate Paolo, the young boy is always more set to follow the impossible dream love with Mason. Alex is obviously the main hero of this novel, he is the one the reader has to have the best good in mind, but truth be told, I think that he, sometime, came out as obsessive and insecure. At some point it’s pretty clear that Mason was not searching what Alex was offering, so, truly, I was not cheering for their relationship to find a way to develop; where most of the readers were probably expecting for Alex to loose his virginity in a dreamy night, and with that act everything would have “straightened” up for Mason and Alex, I was secretly hoping that something happened to prevent Alex to reach that step.

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