The Lodger: Sharing Can Be Murder

by Drew Gummerson

Honza takes in a lodger, Andy, who seems like his opposite - a coarse straight guy who comes home drunk every night to fart happily in front of the TV. But when, in a drunken stupor, Andy confesses to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1902852400
• ISBN13: 9781902852409
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: GMP Publishers
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Pure Entertainment

Larry Bailey, The Open Book Ltd, SacrementoDrew Gummerson was a delightful discovery. His latest book "The Lodger" is a book to read when you want to read a fun novel, just for the pure pleasure of reading.What makes Drew Gummerson's work so enjoyable is his great timing in setting up scenes, situations, and characters well in advance of the punch lines and "troubled" conclusions. This book is really a well-orchestrated comedy, drama, suspense and love story. There were some situations in "The Lodger" that left me laughing and rolling on the floor, while other sections kept me reading as fast as I could, flipping through pages to end the suspense of the immediate story line's subplot."The Lodger" revolves around a main character named Honza Drobrolowski. Honza is gay, a writer by profession, living in Derby, England, but has been a little slow in getting his work published. In order to makes ends meet, he is forced to sub-rent a room to a lodger (room mate to US). Trying to keep his writing on a regular schedule, he picks the applicant (Andy) with the least interest to him: straight, works as a hauler (moving man), keeps to a strict schedule (goes to work, comes home, drinks beer, watches television, and goes to bed). Slowly, Honza's world starts to un-wined: his sister (who we discover is really a whore) and his nephew (who he absolutely adores and keeps on weekends) are moving to London; he can't get his book published; and his lodger, who has become a steady, lovable person through his simplicity, reliable, and unassuming roommate, comes home drunk, very late, one evening and announces while passing out on the bed "he really didn't mean to kill him".Drew Gummerson's book, "The Lodger" is pure entertainment; it doesn't get much better than this!

You WILL love this book!

O.K. I don't want to write this review in too gushing a manner but I really did love it! The characters were intriguing and the story compelling. I read 'The Lodger' over a period of only two evenings (another attack of 'couldn't put it down' syndrome) and even found that the story's main characters (Honza the writer, his nephew Nicholas and his lodger Andy) invaded one of my dreams on the first night after I'd started reading this humorous and emotive tale of a man just looking for an 'easy' life. This book is highly recommended. I'm just trying to work out how many friends and relatives I can get away with buying this for as a gift for Christmas...

Couldn't put it down!!!!

This was certainly one of the best gay fiction books I have ever read. I don't want to make comparisons as to not give away the story. You'll love Honza and his adventure in searching and finding a new room mate. There is comedy, sex, murder and mystery revealed with a flair I really could appreciate. I can't wait for Drew Gummerson's next book.

A fantastic debut!

I read this book over only 2 days - and it dominated those 2 days. As they say, I couldn't put it down. The characters were realistic and I warmed to them greatly. Many times I laughed out loud. It was quite the funniest book I have read in a long time. In the end, I didn't want to to end. One question, when is the next book coming out? Excellent!

Endearing characters; compelling story!

Even without the dismal editorial review I read prior to purchasing The Lodger I would still feel compelled to submit my own review of this engaging, well written story.Honza, the protagonist, is a lovable "everyman" sort of guy - freelance writer, wannabe but rejected novelist, romantic who was hurt by a former lover, loving uncle, concerned brother to his prostitute sister, and dutiful son to his somewhat overbearing mother. Honza works from his home and, finding that he isn't quite making ends meet financially, decides to advertise for a lodger. Of the three responses he gets from his ad, he decides to go with the one who is least his "type", having immediately succumbed to having sex with the second applicant while showing him the room. Honza suspects that young, working class Andy's reason for answering the ad is that he is venturing from his parent's home for the first time. Andy is the picture of a young heterosexual male, from spitting into the toilet when he is shown the bathroom to bounding back up the stairs and using the toilet while leaving the bathroom door open at the conclusion of the tour of the house. Andy is so much the opposite of Honza, Honza attempts to forestall agreeing to accepting Andy as a lodger at the conclusion of the interview. In fact, the actual agreement is simply implied in the final humorous interchange between the two.From the initial meeting between Honza and Andy, all of the dialogue between the two characters is reserved, yet charged with emotion, and most often I found myself either smiling or laughing out loud at the humor present in almost every situation. The implication of the editorial review I saw for this book led me to believe the story was a mystery, perhaps even involving murder. The cover of the book, along with the jacket summation both further that supposition. However, the possibility that Andy is a murderer derives from a statement he makes to Honza when he returns from a day with his mates in a drunken stupor. Because of the little Honza knows about Andy, he immediately conjures up an extreme explanation; not to say that Andy is completely innocent of misdeeds, as Honza eventually discovers.The Lodger is a wonderfully compelling read and I found it hard to put down. Even with restraint I was only able to make it last a couple of days. From the beginning I knew how I wanted (hoped!) the story would end, and I wasn't completely disappointed. I am looking forward to Drew Gummerson's second novel.