WARNING: This novel contains graphic descriptions of sexual activity and language that some readers may find offensive.
This book is a triumph and has returned Tsiolkas to my high esteem after Damascus (2019) and 7 1/2 (2021) which left me rather underwhelmed. Two men in their fifties, both with pasts tainted by regrets, mistakes, and betrayal, find each other on a dating app. Perry, an academic and translator, and Ivan, a landscape designer with his own business, are both attractive men although their handsomeness has begun to fade. They embark on their first date with a lot of trepidation and too much aftershave. The description of their restaurant meal is made dramatic and insightful by Tsiolkas’ attention to both men’s explicit thoughts that accompany each gesture, look, and their possible implications. There is also a wonderful dinner party scene where Tsiolkas’ narrator digs deep into each character’s actions and reactions. It’s a masterful piece of writing juggling four very different characters each with exposed, and hidden, motivations, what they say and don’t say.
The story is told in the third person but from alternating, chapter to chapter, points of view. However, imbedded in the structure is a device I have not seen before: Tsiolkas takes passing strangers, near-by onlookers, and places them under the narrator’s attention and we see our two would-be heros as others see them, how the world sees them: two ageing homosexuals behaving normally and affectionately in the world. This device has another purpose which affords an unusual but satisfying ending … but enough said; no spoilers here.
Tsoilkas has never shied away from graphic sexual descriptions as is evident in his early work, particularly Loaded (1995) and Dead Europe (2005) but since his record breaking success The Slap (2008) thrust him into the global literary mainstream with television adaptations both in Australia and the US the sexual lives of his characters have usually been implied rather than described. This return to such syntax is welcomed because he is so good at it mainly because there is no judgement or shame in what is vividly described.
Both men have pasts that they are trying to recover from and which they may or may not reveal to the other. They both try very hard to make this new relationship work – falling in love in your fifties is very different from your heady twenties; it takes work – even though Ivan’s family, a bitter ex-wife, but a caring daughter and granddaughter, and their own tensions get in the way. Perry has his own demons, mainly in the shape of a married French ex-lover he met in Europe and how this closeted man made him see himself and the world.
Minor characters, Ivan’s family and a charming rent-boy, and Perry’s relationship with his ex-lover’s daughter are treated with the same descriptive detail that add depth and understanding to the narrative. It’s a great book. Highly recommended.
Here is a short and interesting video with Tsiolkas talking about his influences and inspirations from 10 years ago. And here is a longish interview with David Marr about The In-Between but the audio is less than adequate. Watch with patience.
You can buy the paperback edition here.
Michael K Freundt 