Brothers in Arms

By Michael Carson

Book Overview

A classic, hilarious coming out novel about growing up in the 1960s--can Benson be both gay and Catholic? Gay and happy? What do you do when you're fat, 14, and your obsessions include the Catholic... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394572130
• ISBN13: 9780394572130
• Release Date: August 1988
• Publisher: Pantheon
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Confused lad overcomes condemnatory church teachings

Set somewhere on the coast of the Irish sea, Sucking Sherbet Lemons follows five troubled years of discovery in the life of Martin Benson. The story starts when Benson is thirteen years of age, in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Following what was school normal practice then, Benson and his peers are referred to by their surnames. Benson is the son of a policemen, a Catholic and a seemingly distant man; his mother is more doting but misguided. Benson himself is overweight, very religiously inclined, not a popular boy and the constant target of bullies at the St Bede's, a Catholic boys' grammar school which he attends. He is constantly perturbed by the conflict of his religious beliefs and what he perceives as his unnatural liking for boys and enjoys fantasies involving other lads. He is also a founder member of the Rude Club, where he enjoys some intimate explorations, and is fascinated by the sexually precocious Bruno. Following a talk on vocation from a visiting Catholic Brother, Benson thinks he sees a way out of his problem and eventually goes away to St Finbar's for training to be a Brother. However his demons to not desert him, in fact he just encounters more problems Sent back at his old school, St Bede's, things do not go well at first, but maybe there are brighter prospects ahead. This is a very rewarding tale, and very encouraging as we witness the making of a fine young man out of the initially somewhat pathetic Benson. More importantly it is a real indictment of the Catholic faith. Whatever one's beliefs there can be no defence for promoting teachings, supposedly found in the Bible, which condemn sinners to eternal damnation, while at the same time so blatantly failing to provide any support or counsel for miscreants. It is not surprising that under such loveless direction that the young Martin Benson endured such a tragic state of confusion. I found this a very positive and enjoyable read. NOTE: this book is also published under the title 'Brothers in Arms'.

A touching story.

The story follows the teenage Benson who have to suffer humiliation for being fat and to cope with his homosexuality. Despite a rather serious content, the story is told in a humorous manner, which makes this book every entertaining. I like the segment when Benson did a report on Hamlet, what he wrote seemed perfectly resonable in his viewpoint but totally ridiculous to the rest. The book covers Benson's journey of self-realization but the ending was very sad. (To find out why, please read the book!) This is trult a remarkable book which is very touching yet I laughed when I read through the pages.

Carson, Michael

Although this book is many years old it's message is timeless. One of the few books I have read that can have you laughing and crying on the same page.

Michael Carson's First and Best

One of the funniest books which I have ever read. Michael Carson leads his readers through the agonies of adolescence and the neuroses of religion with real insight. This book should really be made into a film!

The inner fight between religion and gay love

The most wonderful gay novel I have ever read. An incredible capacity to tell us the feelings a teenager faces when discovering his sexual orientation. The lonelyness of his discovery, the hypocrisy of the religious school, the alienation of his parents during the revolution he was experiencing, the fear, the difficult experience of his mother's death... all so well described, that we shiver and cry.