Customer Reviews

Benediction

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ben Schmidt feels lousy on one unusually warm morning in San Francisco. In a couple pages I feel that way too, since it's September 11 2001 and Ben's carefully balanced world of filmmaking, day job, relationship, and extracurricular sex has suddenly collapsed. While friends and co-workers deal with the horror of the Twin Towers, Ben acquires a special private horror of his own: the doctor phones to say he could have prostate cancer. From there, I was hooked. Ben's unique character unfolds mercilessly in the pages to follow: his determination (to stay sexy); his ingenious and persistent denial; the twin hauntings of addiction and regret. I took it one page at a time, relishing the plot twists and recognizing my own life time and again. You don't have to be gay to love this book, but it helps. Lifting the story above the gritty details of sex and prostate cancer (sometimes together!) is the creativity, insight, and desperation of a middle-aged man who's about to lose it all much more quickly than he ever imagined. I hope Jim Arnold keeps writing!

Although I am a heterosexual woman, I loved Benediction and read it in just two sittings--the story, while it centers on the experiences of a gay man in San Francisco, is a universal one. The main character Ben struggles to find meaning in his life, his work and his relationships--pretty much the same things we all do, gay and straight alike, as we navigate the murky waters of the human condition. But soon Ben finds himself also facing his own mortality, diagnosed with prostate cancer in early middle age.
For me, this was when the novel really found its footing and then I couldn't put it down. All the ups and downs of Ben's life are suddenly thrown into high relief, and the sharply-written novel really takes off. Ben starts as an engaging enough character but I was drawn deeper and deeper into his life as the novel progressed. The plot is absorbing, but it is the characters--Ben, his family, friends, and dearly-departed friends of all species--that kept me reading to the satisfying conclusion.
This is a terrific novel, funny and tragic by turns, and I will be looking forward to Jim Arnold's next book!

In all honesty, I am really not the best reader to review Benediction because it is exactly the kind of read I try to avoid. This has nothing at all to do with the merits or failings of the book, and everything to do with my own personal biases. I don't care for stories of catastrophic and/or terminal illness. For instance, I avoid AIDS novels, for reasons too complicated to get into here; and, really, this is an AIDS novel in which AIDS has been switched to prostate cancer.

So, in established AIDS novel fashion, we follow the fortunes of Ben Schmidt from early detection through the various stages of the illness and its treatment, with each step described in earnest, often clinical, detail. Men tend to not talk about prostate problems. It's probably a good thing for some to experience this with Ben. There's scarcely anything left unsaid.

So, why, you're wondering, am I writing about a book I didn't like--except, that I did, putting my personal preferences aside, and for what it is. And what it is, for the most part, is very well written

The author is at his best in describing his settings, and the armchair traveler gets a lot for his ticket: an often lyrical San Francisco; raunchy New York club scenes; tacky giddy West Hollywood; Sydney, from sex dens to sand dunes; even Turin.

The plot--well, the illness mostly dominates that, though there is an off again on again relationship with the hunk next door; ditto with an internet trick; ditto the sexy doctor, and...hmm, might as well say it, Ben Schmidt is a slut. Also, once he falls off the AA wagon, a heavy duty lush and druggie.

Which brings up characterization. The people in the book are mostly well drawn, if mostly not very sympathetic. There just isn't anyone to root for. Certainly not poor Ben, who seems to have no fun at all, not even when he's having--often--sex. But I did come to admire him, and he has the good sense eventually to figure out where he needs to be; and that, too, is a tribute to the author, because I found myself thinking of Ben as I would of someone I know. Okay, someone who aggravates me no end, but still, my point is, the character does come alive. And, as my title above suggests, journeys to hell and (mostly) back before the the book ends.

The prose is literary. I'm surprised Kensington didn't jump all over this. As I was reading, I kept checking the cover, convinced I was reading a Kensington release. It should have been a shoo-in for a Lammie. It's the kind of thing they love. If I'd gotten it in time I'd have nominated it for a Publishing Triangle Award--there's one for debut novels, and this would have been worth their consideration.

All of which is to say, this is a really a fine book, and Jim Arnold is obviously a writer of considerable talent and a welcome addition to the glbt genre. I recommend this book highly, but with a caveat - it's a grueling journey for the reader.

From the moment I "met" Ben on the page his combination of a sharp wit and a kind (but certainly not mushy!) heart made me want happiness for him. I rooted for him to beat the cancer and to triumph creatively. There's no need to synopsize this story because the previous reviewer has done a good job. I just want to say that this new writer is worth reading, and that his hero is worth caring about.

BENEDICTION has it all. Brilliant writing, well-crafted characters, suspense, dramatic storyline, plot twists, and believable human relationships that anyone can relate to, and keep the pages turning. Way to go, Jim Arnold. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!

Ben Schmidt is in his early forties, lives in SF Castro, a creative film director,a professional marketing executive, has a beautiful boyfriend living upstairs in a different apartment(a perfect arrangement in my opinion),and plays from time to time with an attractive Latino until it all falls apart. Ben is diagnosed with prostate cancer and unravels as a result - he's a recovering alcoholic who chooses to relapse and other regrettable choices as well.

The main characters in "Benediction" are fully developed and the narrative clever. I thought the internal process (emotional & mental) regarding the cancer diagnoses extraordinarily layered and complex. The Badlands(a bar & dance venue in San Francisco Castro for the hot younger crowd)demographic and invisible comment by Ben spot on - the need to still be desirable when no longer in that demographic poignantly relatable especially in light of his current situation. Yet there were moments when I had difficulty sympathizing with Ben's plight as a result his self destructive behavior and inability to cope - perhaps because the author did such a fine job of creating such a clearly intelligent man - I wanted him to stop wallowing in self pity and make better choices, which means the author successfully engaged me in becoming invested in Ben's struggles.

Overall, "Benediction" is an absorbing novel that captures one man's journey through a health crisis and emotional minefield. Is he a sympathetic character? No, not always, but that is the real humanity and beauty of Ben's story. I read the book in just a few hours, but there were times when I was slogging my way through it,and felt completely exhausted when I finished - however, it was worth every minute.

Jim Arnold has done an amazing job of letting us inside the world of his believable hero, Ben Schmidt. He brings an insider's look at how the reality of cancer wreaks havoc in the life of a successful, globe-trotting creative man. The hero's journey takes us back to the heady days of the post-dotcom boom in San Francisco, while painting an honest picture of the dilemmas faced by a man who suddenly realizes he is mortal. We are happy to follow the main character on his challenging journey because the author brings a realistic humanity to the lives of Ben and his circle of friends and romantic partners. You don't have to be a gay man or a cancer survivor to appreciate the author's subtle touches, interesting characters and gripping storyline. When you reach the final pages of the book, you'll be sorry to put it down because Ben is quite a charming companion and a great expert in navigating the darker passages of life. I hope we hear a lot more from this truly gifted author.

As a straight woman, reading Benediction was insightful and opened my mind to a world I've never known - that of a gay middle-aged man living with prostate cancer. I quickly became entranced in this book and finished it in just a couple days. The characters are so vivid, you feel like you know them personally. After reading Benediction, I have a newfound respect for those who live with prostate cancer. There were times while reading this book that I actually became faint because of the vivid description and detail. Jim Arnold is a fantastic new writer and I look forward to following his work in the future.

It's really difficult to disconnect the author, Jim Arnold, from his character, Ben Schmidt. They have so many traits in common and Ben comes out so strong from the page of Arnold's novel, that it was really like reading a personal journal more than a fictional novel.

Ben is a wanna-be-director, with actually a first movie going out on Festivals all around the world, a nice work in San Francisco, an handsome boyfriend,Jake, living in the attic of the Victorian house where he has a first floor apartment, and an affair on the side with Eric, and nice guy who is always ready to have sex when Ben wants something different than maybe too perfect Jake. At mid-forthy Ben seems to have the perfect dream life for every modern gay man, but he is not happy. He has a constant desire to ruin his own happiness, and his relationship wth Jake is a perfect example of that: Ben has the chance to have a perfect life and he is trying to destroy it. If nothing else happened, I think Ben would have never understood that. It was his own right to destroy his life since he has the power to do so.

But then that power is taken off from him. Ben discovers to have prostate cancer. And it's bad. Suddenly his life is crashing around him and he has no power on that. He can't do anything if not wait for the next tragedy to struck. And life is no more good for him. When he is down and without chance to fight back, everything he thought due in his previous life is put at risk: his job, his boyfriend, his passing lovers, even his apartment, with the small threat of mice. When Ben had everything, he didn't know what he really wanted, now that he is on the edge to loose everything, he will have the chance to understand what is really important for him. In a way tragedy helps Ben, freeing him from all the unnecessary things, he will have an enough clear view to see what it really matters.

I didn't expect to enjoy the romance in this book like I did, and truth be told, at first I didn't like so much Ben. But in a way he got better with the story, and I liked that he didn't come out as an hero. There is nothing of heroic in Ben, he is a real man struggling against the world with only the strength of a normal man. And he doesn't cling on his friends, he tries to find the strength inside him. I liked that, amidst all the tragedy, Ben realized that love was the answer, not for the cancer, but at least to give a reason to his life.

Benediction is not an easy book to read, above all if you had an experience with cancer. It's not all roses for Ben, it's not that, since he has cancer, everything else has to go smoothly for him, it's not that people who dislike him suddenly step back. Ben has not only to fight the cancer but also all the other small and big trouble people have in their everyday life. He has to continue to worry for everything he worried before and plus he has not the cancer. That is the strength of Ben, being able to face all and take the right decision.

This is a good first novel, but I found myself getting very annoyed with the artifice of ghosts appearing all the time. The writing style is wonderful and entertaining. The subject of prostate cancer is a downer. I bought the book because I thought it would be interesting to see his perspective on it, having gone through that myself. He has the facts right. His character is a self-destructive alcoholic, something I didn't really want to read about. Let's have more from Mr. Arnold, but I hope he comes up with a more in-control character next time.