Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon
Length: Novella
Me, Myself and Someone Else leads us to the end of The Indignities trilogy by Graeme Aitken. Stephen Spears has grown up, just a bit, and finds that life is quickly passing him by just like the year 30, one he stoutly refused to acknowledge and actually cleverly dodged by crossing over the dateline into New York. But all has not been a bed of roses for poor Stephen. Let’s do a quick review.
In book two, Blake, Stephen’s live-in boyfriend, finally discovered that his lover was cheating on him and having quick and anonymous sex in the various saunas around Sydney. Blake left Stephen for the “well-endowed” new next door neighbor and we watch as Stephen goes through all the stages of grieving over a broken relationship, which include going online to a noted gay dating hot line, Gaydar, and inadvertently allowing a date from there to set up a party, (read orgy).
By the story’s end, Stephen is disillusioned; Damon, Blake’s best friend, has tricked Stephen into believing he is a caring and possible boyfriend in the making; and Stephen has begun the noisy and disruptive renovations on the house he and Blake formerly shared. Revenge is sweet and Stephen is ready to plow head first into the stream.
Book three picks up a few months later. Stephen has been avoiding moving back home (he began house sitting for Strauss, his friend who was in London) because he cannot bear the thought of running into Blake. In this final chapter, old dalliances come back to both haunt and delight Stephen. During his initial breakup with Blake, Stephen had taken to masquerading as alternate personas and had a flirtatious encounter with a salesman, Patrick, who Stephen thought to be straight.
As events unfold, Stephen’s shenanigans get revealed in the most embarrassing and stinging way by Patrick, he becomes friends with Damon, and tries out cross dressing as a means to “enhance” his craft as an actor, and he discovers things about his ex, that both sadden and invigorate him. This story moved so quickly I felt nearly breathless by the end–in a most satisfying way. There were moments where I giggled and laughed out loud. Once again author Graeme Aitken was back in form with sharp and witty dialogue, outrageous scenarios, and fascinating new side characters.
Plus we see the return of Strauss with a new “boy” in tow and Ant, Stephen’s former partner who continues to grapple with HIV. In fact one of the most sobering and important scenes in the novella was a phone conversation between Ant and Stephen where Ant agrees to come to Stephen’s 31st birthday party. The raw truth of living with HIV was pulled out and placed center stage and once more I saw how gifted this author is when he gets it just right. The scene was poignant and life affirming without being maudlin or condescending.
Me, Myself and Someone Else was an excellent finale to a fun and sexy trilogy. I recommend you read all three books in The Indignities Series; it is certainly worth the time!
