All About the
Boy
P.A. Friday
Disclaimer: A free copy of the book was provided to me by the
author in exchange for an honest review
For a book addict like me, one who is compulsively inhaling
books in any and all possible formats and all possible subjects, the
opportunity to get books for free is incredible. For a wordsmith like me, who
is almost as addicted to writing as to reading, (and very, very fond of having
and delivering “opinions”) the chance to be able to review someone else’s work
is a lot of fun too!
So, here I was with a copy of P A Friday’s All About the Boy, a collection of
male-male kinky stories, free for review! Not having read anything else by the
author, I didn’t know what to expect.
It is a collection of three stories, all centered around kink
– specifically BDSM – between men. And, before I even tackle a single story, I must
say I had a really positive experience with the language and the general
writing style. The problem with romance novels, or erotic romances, or erotica,
often is that the writer seems to think that a sufficiently “hot” story means
that there is no need for much else. The writing is often pretty bad, and the language
– whether the author’s or ghostwriting – makes me cringe and wince with bad
grammar and usage and dozens of spelling mistakes per page.
P A Friday, I am glad to say was a pleasure to read. The usual
cringe-worthy language and grammatical mistakes were absent, and there wasn’t
even one wince per page!
The first story, -- kind of cute. Sure, it is kinky, but it
is a nice sweet mix of gay for you, kinky for you, and “long time coming”. I usually
like these stories of two people having known each other all their lives and
someday something just clicks! The not entirely intentional and thought out
exploration of kink on part of the characters is interesting, and well written.
It is not easy to write conflict, internal or external, but Friday manages it
just fine.
The second story I had a real problem with. The attempt at
consensual non-consent that the story seemed to be moving towards became very
firm dubious consent, and made me very uncomfortable. It could be just a
personal issue, but I winced through the story and could barely make myself
finish it. The language, grammar, etc, were fine but the whole concept just
read too much like a consent violation and made me very uncomfortable.
The third story, honestly, I didn’t get at all. Was there a
point? It felt like one of those inconclusive, formless, directionless arty
short stories that raise my hackles even when they parade as “literary” work. Definitely
not something I would want to read again, especially as light reading and for
passing time in a pleasant way. It wasn’t as unpleasant as the second, sure,
and didn’t leave as much of a bad taste in the mouth. But the violence came out
of nowhere, and the story ended abruptly too!
Overall then, the writer has potential. Based on the
language, style and the first story, I would probably pick up another book by
the same author. But, unless that second book gave me more of the stuff of the
first story here, and much less of the stuff of the other two, I can’t say I would
become a follower.
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