Who Lies Inside

By Timothy Ireland

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0907040306
• ISBN13: 9780907040309
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Carrier Pigeon
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Being true to oneself

Eighteen years old Martin, know as Jumbo by his school friends, is a physically well built and lumbering rugby player, expected to be one of the boys by both his friends and his father, but when a tackle with an opponent on the rugby field awakens in him feelings for another boy he'd rather not have, it leads to very troubled time for him. Martin tells his own story of how he comes to terms with these feelings, and especially his love for Richard, a much smaller but attractive boy in his class. This relatively short story really gets to the heart of the confusion and pressures experienced by the young Martin, pressures to be 'normal' and date a girl and reject the boy, but ultimately provides a positive outlook to be true to one's self, much of it voiced through words of wisdom from the young Richard.

Direct, honest and moving coming-out story

A sensitively-told novella of a young British man's sexual awakening, "Who Lies Inside" packs a disarmingly effective punch into a mere 125 pages. Unlike many contemporary coming-out novels, which revel in the degradation of their young protagonists, "Who Lies Inside" is quiet, perceptive and grounded in a plausibly day-to-day reality. The main character is a rugby-playing schoolboy, whose gruff demeanour and sporting prowess becomes both a shield and a hindrance for his secret and embarassing gay desires. As his attraction grows for Richard, a charismatic but unsporty fellow student, our hero journeys down a difficult emotional journey, in which he's forced to confront his own fears and challenge a life lived for others' expectations. With simple, emotionally direct prose, Ireland explores the characters' fumbling towards their true inner selves, who lie (in both senses of the word) inside. It's a snapshot of a Britain where men - straight or gay, father or son, friend and rugby coach - are paralysed by their inability to express emotional intimacy. Our gentle giant longs to find gentleness and love, and fight through fear and self-loathing to get there. But the road to self-knowledge isn't easy - the characters experience confusion, rejection and risk alienating their familieis and friends. This simple bittersweet story makes perfect reading material for any young man coming out , or parents and friends of young gay men. I read it first in 1994, the year I came out to my family, and often revisit it for its message of hope, and a reminder of the human need for love and acceptance. Highly recommended.