Warwick Collins (1948–2013)

This clever novel focuses on the period in 1592 when, the theatres closed due to the threat of the plague, Shakespeare retreated to the country home of his young patron, Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Collins has expanded on facts and theories surrounding the writing of Shakespeare's sonnets and has come up with a delightful novel. We know, for example, that they were dedicated to a "Mr. W. H." and that Southampton, to whom both Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were dedicated, is a likely candidate. We also know that the first 18 sonnets strive to persuade a young man to marry, and scholars speculate that Wriothesley's mother may have hired the poet to write them. And we know that over time the speaker develops a passion for the young man that is disrupted by two triangles: one involving a rival poet, the other focused on the so-called "dark lady." By using a first-person narrator--Shakespeare himself--, the novel fleshes out the construction of the sonnets while creating a fascinating story.

Collins begins by developing a casual friendship between poet and patron that is engaging and believable. While Wriothesley often uses Shakespeare as a sounding board for his complaints (most of them against his guardian, the powerful Lord Burghley, and an arranged marriage), the two never quite forget the distinction of rank between them. As the story unfolds, Collins weaves in 32 of the sonnets as he imagines them having been written in response to developing events, and we are privy to the patron's critiques as well. Christopher Marlowe, clearly a rival for Wriothesley's attentions, shows up at the table, and Collins explores two candidates for the role of the dark lady, Emilia Lanier and Lucia Florio, wide of Southampton's tutor, John Florio.

I'm often overly critical of novels that fictionalize Shakespeare's life; too often they sensationalize minor details, make absurd leaps of fancy, or are just too clever for their own good in the way they attempt to integrate well-known lines and characters. The Sonnets, however, hits just the right note.… (more)

Three West Indian men take centre stage in this engaging short novel; Reynolds, the long standing boss; Jason, his young Rasta assistant of six years, and new man Ez. As Ez joins the staff at the public convenience complaints about cottaging, (men in twos, threes or more are using the cubicles for their dubious pleasures), threaten to close the public toilet. The three men use their own ingenuity to bring the problem under control, with considerable success. In fact so successful are they that takings drop markedly, and so three men are no longer needed to maintain the toilets, one of them may have to go. Again, they come up with an ingenious solution.

The real joy of the book however is the characters. Although Reynolds, whose life revolves around managing the conveniences, appears constantly to jibe Jason, he is in fact very fond of the lad and regards him like a son. While Jason might seem sullen and self absorbed, and as Reynolds often accuses, "bad", events prove him to be principled, proactive and imaginative. Ez, is a gentle, loving and tolerant man. Their mild Jamaican patois is well captured, and their interactions and activities prove quite comic.

This is a very gentle story with a message, a touch of irony, likeable characters, plenty of humour and a positive outcome.… (more)

Three Jamaicans work in a public toilet in London. They are pretty much resigned to the almost constant cottaging that goes on, until one day the council tells them that it needs to be stopped or the premises will be closed.

That might not sound like a great premise for a book - and indeed, the story is both short and a quick read. But the style and the subject matter both pack a lot more punch than you might think on a first look.

The style is very spare - it feels as if you are being told everything that happens, but of course there is actually a lot going on between the lines. The story, too, manages to bring in some big questions - particularly how different people choose to respond to other lifestyles (not just sexuality) - without ever labouring the point - it's beautifully light-touch.

Sample sentence: It was possible to tell from the sound alone which cubicle had opened or closed. The doors of the seventeen cubicles were like a musical scale. Each hollow space they enclosed had a different frequency. The flushing of the cistern in cubicle three had a different sound from cubicle eleven.

Recommended for: anyone who appreciates good writing and is prepared for an unusual setting!… (more)