Mark Hyatt
Nightboat Books
8 October 2024
144
eBook - PDF
LGBT Fiction
ARC via Edelweiss
Leda is lost. Bouncing from job to job, from coffee bar to house party, he spends his days watching the hours pass and waiting for the night to arrive. Trysts in the rubble of a bombsite follow hours spent in bedsits with near strangers, as Leda is forced to find intimacy in unusual places.
Semi-homeless and estranged from his given family, he relies on the support of his chosen one: a community of older gay men and divorced women who feed and clothe him, gently encouraging him to find a foothold in a society which excludes him at every turn. And then there is Daniel, a buttoned-up man of the Lord, for whom Leda nurses an unrequited obsession – one which sends him spiralling into self-destruction.
This newly discovered, never-before-published novel – which pre-dates the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 – is a portrait of a lost Soho, as well as an important document of queer, working-class life, from a voice long overlooked.
Although only a short, quick read, Love, Leda still packs a punch. It offers a sympathetic portrayal of a young man struggling to define himself and a fascinating snapshot of LGBT life in 1960s London. It is a frank tale that doesn't pull any punches in its depiction of the ups and downs of Leda's existence, and it comes across as honest and open, bleak at times but with glimpses of hope between the dark clouds. I would recommend this book to fans of LGBT fiction that presents a realistic view of everyday life in the recent past without shying away from the darker aspects the characters face. I am giving it 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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