Customer Reviews

The Beloved Son: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Jay Quinn is good, he is terrific and when he's not so good he's still pretty good. Karl, 52, and his family visit Karl's parents in Boca Raton at the insistence of his father. Upon arrival, Karl's 40-year-old gay brother explains that their mother is rapidly descending into dementia. The story is about the extended family's interpersonal relationships and how they cope with the mother's news. As usual for Quinn, in The Beloved Son his characters are interesting and his rich detailing of life in South Florida greatly adds to the pleasure. The "not-so-good" is that at times the story drags. Set in the course of a single weekend, it sometimes feels as if it is moving along in real time. By the way, there is also no sex. Overall, however, this is a very good tale of dealing with adversity and in the process rediscovering what it means to be a family.

I want to begin by saying that Jay Quinn is one of my favorite writers. Few authors so beautifully create characters well define and beloved that I am sad when the story ends. I wanted the book to continue because I became emotionally attached to the point that I don't want to end the time I had to be with them. The Beloved Son is one of his best.
The problem that I have with this excellent story is with the person responsible for the final edit. Is it me or did any of the others who reviewed this book notice that on at least two occasions that paragraphs were repeated on the same page? At first I thought that I had just lost my place on the page, but then I would look and there was the same paragraph word for word.
Don't ask me to give specific page numbers because I didn't stop my reading to make notes, nor do I want to wade back into a beautiful story with my focus on printed errors.
I guess my surprise comes with being the only reviewer who seemed to notice.

I am currently reading the new Michael Thomas Ford book, Changing Tides. The irony is that both Ford and Quinn, popular "gay" novelists,( don't stone me for stating such) have new works that have gay "minor characters." You could argue with Changing Tides, but he doesn't come to a realization that he might possibly be gay until the last 40 or 50 pages.
The vast majority of both books deal with experiences of people who constitute the masses and who already are covered by every other novelist well more than enough.
I enjoyed both men's previous works because I could count on their creating solid gay character who I could identify with in the majority of the story. If either of these two authors were to take one more small step away from characters who enhance my love of gay fiction, the gay characters would be lost or ignored as much as we are in society. If you believe that I just said that the books must be gay oriented, reread my first four paragraphs.

Also, I know that this review could use an editor, but then I'm not an author, never claimed to be, and I don't receive royalties.

You may disagree, but I am allowed at least an opinion in this country, for now.

At 52, Karl Preston is a successful family man, living with his career-minded wife and adult daughter in an affluent town home community in North Carolina. When he gets an urgent call from his father for all of them to come down to his parents' home in Florida, his momentary displeasure with the interruption in his busy life is overshadowed by a concern that something is wrong. He wonders if it is a health problem for one of his parents, or perhaps regarding his decade younger brother Sven, who lives near his parents with his life partner of 26 years, Rob.



Karl and Sven had not been in touch much, since Karl went away to college in North Carolina when Sven was still a little boy. Most of this was because Karl was simply a busy man, but also due to an emotional distance that developed when Sven had first come out as gay when he was a teenager. His old-school, conservative father, Frank, did not accept his younger son's sexuality as a given, and blamed it on the coddling of his mother, Annike. But Karl's daughter, Melanie, had grown close to her uncles Sven and Rob, visiting them many times, and wasn't aware of any problem with them.



When they get down to Florida, they learn that their summoning was to be told that Frank and Annike were "downsizing" their lives, moving to a nearby retirement community, and wanted to offer Sven, Karl and his family any mementos from their home before most of it goes to charity. They also learn that the main reason for the change is that Annike is gradually losing her grasp on reality due to senior dementia, and it is likely that, within a year or less, she may need ongoing custodial care, which can be provided at a different wing of the retirement community. Up to now, Sven has been the primary caregiver when his mother had her increasingly-frequent bouts of forgetfulness and childlike regressions and, although thankful for his help, Frank also was somewhat jealous of the intimacy they shared, and channeled his anger at the situation unfairly by picking on Sven. The time constraints in dealing with his mother also have affected Sven's relationship with his lover, who is taking some time apart to reassess their priorities.



Karl goes through a myriad of emotions in his few days in Florida, first feeling like an outsider among his own family. He witnesses one of his mother's regressive episodes, during which Sven has to treat her like a little girl in order to get her cleaned up and take her medication, and is incredulous that Frank mercilessly picks on Sven for doing what he could not do himself. Speaking with Rob, Karl also realizes that Sven's devotion to his mother's needs is the main force causing problems in their relationship, and he encourages them to spend some time alone while his family steps in to help his parents. Karl is also dealing with a minor medical problem that makes him wonder about his own future health, and reacquaints himself with his Catholic upbringing when his mother insists that the entire family accompany her to mass that Sunday.



As in his previous novels, Quinn shows his skill as a master storyteller, spinning realistic, vivid characterizations in a framework of a sad/happy story that strikes an emotional chord with his readers. Though a bit verbose in places, the overall effect is like visiting with a family that you have known all of your life, and you feel the love as they deal with reconciling responsibility with the reality of what is inevitable as life continues and time takes its toll. Beautifully conceived and written. Five stars out of five.

I'll keep this short. I enjoyed The Beloved Son but it wasn't one of those books that you "can't put down". I thought the character development was good and the story was relatable but overall I felt it was to "sickly sweet". Phrases similar to (because I don't have the exact lines in front of me) 'I looked at my brother with love' or 'I was so lucky to know the man my brother has become' were abundant and left me feeling soured because I doubt most people would really be thinking things like that. The only part of the book that really spoke to me was the exchange between Karl and his mother as the walked through the neighborhood. That was truly believable.

Overall I'd give it: B-

It was an interesting story but not a page-turner. I just couldn't wait to finish it. (Also there were a LOT of errors. Whole paragraphs repeated, dialog where the wrong character is stated as having been the one "talking". Not sure if it was only my copy of the book or if they are all like that).

"The Beloved Son" was one of the best beach book of the summer. Others have already discussed the story in detail. Let me use the space to explain why I liked "The Beloved Son" far more than Quinn's last two books ("The Good Neighbor" and "Back Where He Started"). I thought the two other books had unrealistic happy endings and at least two gay characters whose belief in organized religion reflected the author's opinion rather thn the chracter's.

"The Beloved Son" has a happy ending of sorts, but life is not going to be easy for any of the characters in the coming years and Quinn fully acknowleges that fact. "The Beloved Son" also has a character who is
Catholic in a way that few other gay men are Catholic anymore. This time
the character (Swen) fully explains why he choses to remain in a church that would seem not to want him.

Enough. This is a very good book. Buy it!

I like the style of Jay Quinn's writing, but I was unsure about the point the writer was trying to make.

Karl, the elder son and central character comes off as a smug self-congratulatory prig, who is a self-confessed emotional cripple, who can only deal with things if they are neat, tidy and have a clear solution. He, and his wife, have led their lives apart from Karl's family, both emotionally and by virtue of distance. Interaction seems to have taken place annually when the family get together for Christmas, but only Karl's daughter seems to have been in regular contact with her uncles, Karl's younger brother and his partner.

Because of distance and Karl's lack of interest and ability to deal with the day-to-day lives of his parents and brother (or anything else that requires emotion), he is seen by all as the prodigal son. Face it, you can't be seen to do any wrong if you are never there. I have seen this countless times in 'real' families. The child who is closest is the one who comes in for the most criticism, regardless of the amount of support he/she offers.

Karl's mother's health crisis is very credible, and the facts about dementia are very well handled, but it is the characters who repel. Karl and his family blow in for the weekend, and with a few patronising remarks, leave for home feeling like their shallow input has somehow had a profound and positive effect on the 'unfortunates' left behind - a revelatory visit from the Son-on-high that the parents and his sibling Sven should be grateful for.

I have to say I felt like slapping Karl and his wife, which is not what I think the author intended. Despite the 'revelations', Karl leaves with such self-satisfaction that you'd think he had solved the world Environmental Trading Scheme with his few trite words.

A great disappointment, from such a talented writer.

Jay Quinn's novel is an eloquent account of family relationships - parent, child, grandchild, siblings as well as partnership both straight and gay. What happens when your parents can no longer care for themselves? Who assumes the primary role of care giver? How do you say goodbye to someone you love? These are the hard questions that are explored in the story of the Preston family over the course of a short visit. Karl Preston has been married to Caroline many years. They are comfortable financially and with each other - they have each other's rhythm down completely. Karl's parents have also been married for years and have now come to a time in their lives when they are no longer able to completely care for themselves. Karl's beautiful mother is suffering from dementia and his cantankerous father cannot wholly cope with her care on his own. He is in a bit of denial over her condition, but I feel the author successfully conveyed the depth of his love and commitment to the woman he loved jealously at times. Then we have the loving, beautiful, longsuffering Sven - youngest son, younger brother, primary caretaker for his parents and longtime partner to Rob.
Overall, I found the story very moving in its exploration of relationships and obligations. There were memories brought up by Karl and Sven - particularly the beach scenes: Karl's memory of his father holding him in the surf and how safe he felt and Sven's recounting a similar scenario but with Karl holding him rather than his father. I was exceptionally moved by the mother's final expression of love through her dialogue with Karl as they walked around the neighborhood together for the last time - the process of letting go is never easy. I was also very touched by Rob's promise to God that he would never ask for anything else if he was given Sven and although fictional the thought of these two people together since age 14 was very heartwarming. I think Jay Quinn has a talent at least in the two novels I have read so far of developing loving fully formed characters navigating through their respective relationships and lives. I thought "The Beloved Son" a more contemplative story than "Back Where He Started", so I was a little surprised to see it characterized as a good "beach read" in one of the reviews. I don't know maybe it's just me, but I tend to think less substance more fluff - People not Newsweek or New Yorker for sand and surf. Regardless, "The Beloved Son" is a tender story of love and relationships - I appreciate the exploration by the author of these universal themes and I certainly appreciate the lack of gratuitous sex detracting from the narrative. I think the story transcends gay and straight labels and for me it never became over-sentimental.

Once again Quinn captures gay, and gay-straight family dynamics; at times sad and true and at times very funny. Perhaps the ending is predictable, but for readers who want much more then another coming-out, or vampire read; this plucks many heart strings !

One of the better books written by the author. Characters were developed and 'real' and you will probably see your own family scenario in this book somewhere. The one obstacle this author has is using product names, such as 'Pottery Barn', which is a cop out for fuller descrition and detail. Besides, no one in Europe knows what Pottery Barn is. Worth a read but realize it is more homogenized American literature.

The plot of "Beloved Son" revolves around the Prestons. Frank and Annike are the elderly parents based in southern Florida. Their younger, gay son, Sven, lives in close proximity and is very attendant upon them; he is particularly close to his mother.

Karl, the elder son, is married to Caroline and is the father of twenty-something Melanie. Karl and Caroline live in North Carolina. Karl has been geographically distanced from his birth family and has been emotionally checked-out from them since college.

The plot has Karl's nuclear clan reuniting with the Floridians. Annike is slipping into complete dementia and the reunion is, naturally, bittersweet and painful. Frank's unremitting torture of his younger son for his homosexuality makes for some uneasy moments; what's worse is Sven's saintlike refusal to stand up for himself.

Overall, I could have done without Quinn's obsessive addiction to adverbs. Things are said gently--quietly--calmly--cautiously--discreetly--angrily--inanely--and hundreds of other ways in a myriad of examples where a descriptive was not only unwarranted, it was unwelcome.

His characters came across as thin as the paper on which his novel was printed. I also could not accept the entire Roman Catholic Church angle,
that Annike was so devout (and, ironically, so is Sven) and that Karl somehow feels slightly "reborn" after getting guilted into attendance at Mass by his mentally-unhealthy mater. It felt entirely hollow and unreal.

Sven's extensive relationship with his partner, Rob (they're both aged 40), supposedly originated when they were 14. It begs incredulity to believe two gay men who met as freshmen in high school could remain together (with ostensibly no interruption) for so long a duration.

Mr. Quinn's constructs and plot points, his shallow characters and silly overuse of adverbs--unnecessarily, might I put it, to make him happy--made this a worthless read.