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The story is written in a limited third person pov of Albert and one of his young neighbours, single mom Nicole, who is trying hard to get her life back on track. It’s a beautiful story, even when it was predictable at times, which didn’t seem to matter in the long run.
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain | Waterstones The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain | Waterstones
What made the story so lovely were the responses of those around him when he “came out,” not only as a gay man but as someone who was compassionate, thoughtful and kind. Being forced into retirement, Albert is made to reflect on his loneliness which is compounded by the memories of George, the love of his life who he was forced to part ways with as a young boy, on account of his being shamed by the family because of his sexuality. The extra content following the book in which the author interviewed gay men who lived through a similar time to Albert was very moving. All in all, despite the somewhat formulaic approach, the book offers plenty of insightful content and is a pretty good reading experience.There is humour along the way as well as laughter and tears, and there is the most beautiful ending. Then three months before your sixty-fifth birthday you receive a letter stating you're being forced to retire.
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain | Goodreads The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain | Goodreads
It tries too hard to incorporate varied social commentary in the narrative, with topics ranging from Afro hair to climate change. The author, Matt Cain, wrote The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle to celebrate the acceptance of gay men in British Society. MC: The best ways to be an ally are listen, understand, do a bit of work in terms of finding out what things were like for gay people, don’t assume that just because you’re completely fine with it and because society in general has moved on that that means that there aren’t still pockets of homophobia and intolerance because there are…you know, sometimes people say to me why do we still need pride? Touching and heartwarming story about a man who lives a solitary life, worrying that he will not be understood following the terrible treatment he received when his father discovered he was gay. The book incorporates several factual elements of the discrimination faced by gay boys during the 60s and 70s in the UK.
But now here the notes were, in his hands, bringing his secret life bursting into the present and reminding him of how happy he'd been each time he'd unfolded one of them. We know he was in the Navy and that he wrote poems which suggest his war experiences carried a powerful emotional charge; we know that he kept until his dying day a letter from a fellow officer with whom he seems to have had some kind of relationship. He has no friends, family, or hobbies—just a past he never speaks of, and a lost love that fills him with regret. But Albert’s world is turned upside down on the day he receives a letter from his employer, in which it is written that upon his sixty-fifth birthday he will be summarily dismissed from the Royal Mail Postal Service - as the mandatory age for retirement is sixty-five.
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle: A surprising, uplifting
Note: I have edited this transcript down from the original video to exclude some of the more chatty parts of the conversation so it is not as long. And he must find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he lost - but has never forgotten . As seen and heard on THE GRAHAM NORTON RADIO SHOW, BBC Radio 4’s WOMAN’S HOUR, RESONANCE FM, BBC Radio 2’S THE MICHAEL BALL SHOW, TalkRADIO’S THE BADASS WOMEN’S SHOW, TIMES RADIO with GILES COREN and many more .He discovers most people to be positive about his choices and he is encouraged to look for George, the person he loved and lost so long ago. I loved the honest reflection of how life was back in the 1970s and the emotions looking back on those times really hit me hard. I would say, if you had asked me from childhood I would say The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – all those Narnia books were my escape and inspired me to be creative. It made Albert’s decision to stay closeted much more understandable, especially as his fear was bred from his own parents.
REVIEW: The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain
So, things were kept from public display, passages were omitted from books and sexual relationships were presented as passionate friendships. Both were introverted/reserved at the start but transition almost overnight into friendly and conversational, neither of which is an easy skill for an introvert and takes a long time to develop.He hadn't always been frightened of people; when he'd been at school he'd been quite sociable and had lots of friends, friends like Tom Horrocks and Colin Broadbent. My novel is riding on a wave of interest that dates back in the UK to 2017 and the 50th anniversary of the beginning of decriminalisation of homosexuality.
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