The Locker Room by Amy Lane

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I’m not really sure I like so much the cover of this book, and not really sure neither for the title; I think both convey an idea of the story that doesn’t reflect the real content. Basically this is a Young Adult/Coming of Age story, and for most part of the plot is not even really about sex (I don’t know but “locker room” made me think about sex…); plus the story has also a pink glasses perspective on the world that mostly overcomes all the ugly things of life trying to intrude between our two heroes.

When Xander and Chris met, they are only 15 years old, and for various reasons, sex is the first thing they think in the morning and for all the rest of the day. Xander is the son of a drugs addicted single mother, and his family environment is non-existent; he is starving, growing too fast for the food he has and his only way to forget his grumbling stomach is playing basketball. Chris instead is a little spoiled, a little bratty, but basically a good kid; when he meets Xander on a basketball field, he adopts him like he would do with a puppy, bringing it home and feeding him. I didn’t feel a sexual interest in that moment, and I’m a little uncertain on the nature of their feelings for each other, meaning that, they are for sure in love, but I think their love is more the output of a strong “familiar” bond; it’s like sex, and becoming lovers, would make that bond even more tighter, and for that reason they took a step into that direction.

In any case, they are living in a double dimension: at home they all know about their relationship, on the field instead they have to “play” the straight role, arriving also to having sexual intercourses with women to misguide their real feelings for each other. It’s not a betrayal, since both Xander and Chris know about each other tricks, even planning them together, but it’s for sure something that is slowly destroying their true love.

This is a highly emotional story, pushing for sure all the soft spots of a romantic heart; it’s more unbalanced towards the emotion than passion. It’s for sure a romance that wants to pinpoint the difficult to be gay in the sport field, but not with a dramatic tone, so that the romantic reader will have its happily ever after in the end.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2267

Amazon: The Locker Room
Amazon Kindle: The Locker Room
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (April 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1613720114
ISBN-13: 978-1613720110

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Dan Skinner

Comments

[elena-62.livejournal.com]

Hi, Elisa!

I've just bought this, even though I had the same problems as you had with title and cover. But I've read a couple of books by Amy Lane and I had liked them. I can imagine it will be tha same for this story.

I think both title and cover don't do justice to the author. The excerpt looks good and I think one should read that to judge the book.

Ciao

Antonella

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think readers should give it a try to an excerpt if the title, or the cover, are not convicing them. I was surprised to find almost a coming of age novel, as I said, for most part of the story, Xander and Chris are underage boys.