Customer Reviews

Between Lovers (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

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I've had the opportunity to read 54 reviews of EJD's latest addition to the contemporary market and felt compelled to give my opinion on the book in hopes that it might assist other potential readers to understand Between Lovers. Simply put, the novel is "fiction". It's imaginative with creativity and not necessarily written based upon any real truth.

Between Lovers is a "love triangle" that happen to be narrated by a man who allowed himself to love openly. Was he a wimp? I don't believe so. What I do believe is that "he" believed he loved Nicole more than life itself. He gave her his heart and the depth of love that's infinite. We may not all believe this to be possible in our "real worlds", but perhaps to this character, he actually loved her that deeply "and" without boundaries. Love is not something that you turn on and off when you have a bad day or your mate disappoints you. The narrator truly knows and understands "his" degree of love.

Are some of the scenes in Between Lovers.........out there? That depends on what you like. But when considering the narrator and again his depth of love for Nicole..............absolutely ANYTHING was possible for him. Was it intense? Without a doubt............but intensity is what you make it.

Could EJD have done some things differently or told the story more to my liking? Maybe....maybe not............nonetheless it doesn't take away the level of creativity that EJD has to bring to his market of contemporary AA fiction. I believe that he touched on a subject that might be a little too close for comfort for some and non-affecting for others. Yet and still, it was intensly bold and very much an interesting read.

I have now read all of Eric Jerome Dickey's books and this one is the most racy. I commend Dickey for taking an artistic chance to explore a topic that not too many African Americans address.

There are several themes Dickey addresses in his latest novel, Between Lovers: Family Relationships in particular, father and son, mother and daughter, homesexuality, man and woman relationships, spirituality vs. religion, identity, addiction to a person, forgiveness, and civic duty. It seems like alot, but Dickey develops his characters and delivers messages with incomparable delicacy and openness.

There are many times in the book where you want to strangle the narrator or shout at him because you can't understand why he would chase this woman around and basically sacrifice his personal dignity in the name of love. But I couldn't help comparing it to the behavior of many women who relentlessly chase a man when it is clear that he is not emotionall available to them. In this book it is clearly from the inside of a man! It made me think twice about how I see men and their emotional capabilites. "Is he for real?" was a constant question I would ask myself while reading.

Dickey explored the underground and above ground world of sexuality between women. The relationship that his former fiance, Nicole has with a high powered attorney, Ayanna, is not based on sex. It is a relationship based on trust, honesty and intimacy. Any steretypes or opinions that people may have developed about gay women will be altered after reading this novel. It also challenges your beliefs about how love is shown and how it can be expressed in human relationships.

Another issue Dickey addressed is the issue of religion vs. sprituality. The ability to believe in God, but also to have other belief systems and question your own. For instance the women use reflexology to cure their hormonal issues. He also mentions many books on a variety of religions that Nicole and Ayanna read. The women as well as the narrator have questioned authorative figures in their own lives, much to their belligerent chagrin, who helped shape their belief system.

Family relationships was an extremely important theme in this novel. If you are like me than you have had issues with at least one of your parents in your lifetime. Dickey explores this and shows us that reconciliation can be achieved with acceptance. There is nothing harder than emotionally detaching from your parents, but Dickey tackles it. At the end there is a particularly moving scene in which the character is given acceptance by a father who for awhile disapproves of his "life force," writing.

As I bring this to a close, I will mention what I consider to be "negatives." The ending is dragged out and is almost too dramatic. You want to tell him, "to get over it" much quicker than he actually does. There are times you just want to get rid of Nicole yourself because you just don't get how she can so openly manipulate two people and they still adore her. His best-friend, Andre, I would have liked to see a plot unravel that involves him. Unlike his other books that intertwine many characters and their plots this book concentrates solely on his desire to break free from Nicole's "spell." But Dickey keeps the novel moving so quickly that you forgive him for omitting more "down to earth" charcters and for so blatantly adding in the probation cariacture of the accident witness, which was completely unncessary and degrading. Let's not forget the unhelpful references to the novel, "lolita." That book is about a child molester who obviously has mental problems. yet Dickey felt the need to keep referring to it throughout the novel as if it would help people to understand his obsession. As a woman and a survivor of abuse, I was highly offended.Unless you have read the book in a lit class somewhere it just takes up space.

But it is definetely a novel you want to carry with you in your purse until you finish!

The narrator is left at the altar and discovers that his would be bride has another partner. Surprise-the partner is a woman.

This book is not a typical romance or contemporary fiction where you have a lover's triangle. This triangle involves a man and two women; One of the main character's wants both lovers. One of those lovers wants to complete the triangle thus making a circle. Another surprise, it is not who you would assume. What is so intriguing about this novel is that it is a deep, psychological look into sexuality and how some may question their own identity. With this novel you have betrayal, jealousy, deceit and self-discovery. Also, material wealth comes into play in the form of self-promotion.

You want to dislike one of the main characters, Nicole, because at first glance she is spoiled, hypocritical and selfish. But for some reason you cannot dislike her. I found myself cheering on the narrator wishing that he would come out the winner. In the end he was a winner. The feelings are also explored of the secondary characters such as the parents and friends of the main characters. Those secondary characters provide some insight into the behavior of your major players.

I've only read Sister, Sister, Cheaters and Friends and Lovers and was surprised at the level this book took on. It was not what I expected.

This reader is in awe! KUDOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have all of Eric's books in Hard Cover. I support my AA authors, because that's how I do things. My mind is open, my heart is open and I appreciate new ideas, new concepts and respect authors for traveling the road not taken. This book was terrible, though. I didn't go so far as to throw it across the room when I finished it, but if I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have spent my [price] on a new pair of shoes.

Liar's Game was bad enough, but when you think "he can't get any worse" here comes Between Lovers. I guess my issue revolves around my inability to identify with the characters. I didn't love to hate anyone - I just didn't like 'em. None of 'em. Not Rev. We Shall Overcome, not Mrs. Bible, not wishy washy Nicole, not combative Ayanna and not the weak and nameless main character. I didn't notice any character developement in this book at all. I also agree with the reader who called the book preachy and moralistic. If I want that, I'll pick up my Bible.

As far as I'm concerned, EJD has two strikes. He needs to redeem himself with a quickness, or I'll end up with a few new pairs of shoes!

I am a huge fan of Eric Jerome Dickey, so I rushed to the store and bought this book the first day it came out. I was extremely disappointed with the book. The book is out of character for EJD. Dickey is a talented writer and I believe he was trying to display his diversity as an author with this book; unfortunately the book is a flop. The book felt like a rushed product. It lacked character development and the plot went nowhere. The story is told first person by a narrator who is never given a name. This makes the book an extremely difficult read because at times you are unable to determine who is speaking. I oftentimes had to back up several times to determine who was speaking.

Another concern I had with the novel is that I felt it was unrealistic. The three characters are caught in a love triangle. Nicole is in love with both the narrator and her lover Ayanna. They are both determined to have her for themselves, thus they submit themselves to acts neither one of them is comfortable performing. Dickey himself makes the clearest point to contradict the character's silly actions. At one point in the book it is stated that if the love triangle were between a woman and two men the man surly would not accept this type of behavior and allow his woman to see another man. Why should we believe then that the situation should be any different because the narrator's woman is in love with another woman?

I was not drawn to any of the characters. As a reader I never developed a sense of empathy or connection with any of them. Although I did feel bad for Nicole because of her struggle with her sexuality, that empathy was diminished because she was extremely selfish. No woman can have two people, regardless of whether it is two men or a man and a woman. This is just a selfish expectation. Nicole did not think of how her actions affected the lives of those she loved. She was a selfish lover.

This was a very disappointing novel from and extremely talented author. EJD should stick with what he does best.

When I first heard about Between Lovers, I was taken aback by the subject matter, but decided to read the book anyway for its story-telling worthiness. Personally, I thought he did a fine job in telling a complex story, especially since he isn't taking it from his own life, but is actually making it up, becoming the characters, and trying to imagine what it would feel like to be in their shoes. It is bothersome to see how people are dissing this book. If you were to take EJD's name off the cover, would it still be considered so horrible (as a few other readers have indicated)? Why is it that people think just because Eric alters his style a little bit, and writes about something controversial with unlikable characters that his writing is getting worse? I thought his writing was fine. As a matter of fact, Eric's "worst" could be considered another writer's "best", but that's another matter. Think about it! This is his sixth book. If he keeps redoing Cheaters & Friends and Lovers, people will complain that he's formulaic. Yet if he takes a risk, which all serious writers have to do at some point, some of the readers don't like it and wish he'd go back to the style that he's already mastered. If you want the true formulaic type writer, go read a Danielle Steele novel, but if you are willing to hang with someone who seems to enjoy stretching artistically and challenging himself, than stick with Eric Jerome Dickey and allow him the space to create unusual stories and at the same time cultivate his craft.

Between Lovers is a story that one either loves or hates; definitely no gray areas with Dickey's last novel. In Between Lovers, Dickey introduces us to three individuals intertwined in a troublesome threesome. No Name wants Nicole. Ayanna wants Nicole. And Nicole wants BOTH of them. Between Lovers is told primarily from the standpoint of the male narrator, who the reader quickly realizes has no name, so we simply refer to him as "narrator, no name, or him." His presence and personality is so strong and felt so immensely throughout the book that quite honestly he needs No Name because without him there wouldn't be a story.

Between Lovers greatest strength is its character development of primary as well as secondary characters. These are characters that you feel and as such you laugh with them, cry with them, shout at them, scream at them, talk about them and just plain want to slap them sometimes...okay maybe a lot of times.

Between Lovers might easily be Dickey's most complex and ambitious storyline to date. When I initially read the first few chapters I wasn't drawn into the story. In fact, I set the book aside, for a couple of weeks, before I picked it up again. I'm glad I gave it a second chance. The more engrossed I became with the storyline the more compelling and alive the story became for me. The tension and competitiveness of the storyline was so realistic and believable that I felt as thought I was right there living in the midst of the characters.

Between Lovers probably isn't for everyone. But for those who like a refreshing reading or a change of pace from Eric Jerome Dickey then this is a book to add to your reading list.

Reviewed by Yasmin
APOOO BookClub

Once again, Eric Jerome Dickey has rocked the literary scene with a novel that is in-your-face blunt! And hard to put down! This is the story of a man in love - so much so, he's willing to wait for his ex-fiance, Nicole, to "find herself" by stringing him and her girlfriend Ayanna along. Yep, she's in love with a man and a woman. The narrator, who's name is unknown, is a writer who stays in a hotel in Oakland whenever he wants to visit with Nicole, because Nicole and Ayanna live together. It gets to the point where Nicole wants the two to meet in an intimate setting, but she wants them to follow the "rules". How far will one go for love? Would you sacrifice your morals, what you believe in, be it homosexuality or fidelity, to please the one you love? Would you still love a person that DEEP, when that person stood you up at the alter, in front of God, your family and friends? This novel makes you answer those questions and more! A must read.

Between Lovers is the story of one man and two women who agree to an unusual love triangle. A man and woman openly and willingly divvy up the lips, bed, mind, and soul of another woman and they believe that this arrangement is doable, acceptable, and something that they're willing to endure because of their love for that one woman and her love for them. The center of this emotionally fascinating, yet disturbing relationship is Nicole, a woman who loves deep, loves hard, and if she has things her way, the two people to whom she wants to give all her love are a nameless male writer from Los Angeles, and an aggressive woman named Ayanna. The man is actually Nicole's former fiancé and Ayanna is the individual whose existence caused Nicole to change her mind about marrying him.

I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. For one, the story was written from one person's point-of-view, which is a different read for me from Eric Dickey. However, the writing wa!s detailed and thorough enough so that you're given a complete picture regarding the characters: the writer, Nicole, Ayanna, and especially Nicole's deeply religious mother, and the writer's father, a civil rights activist.

I also really liked the fact that the main characters have living parents. Sometimes their presence helps the reader to understand the main characters a little better. The novel is structurally sound: no noticeable gaps, great intensity, everything was done very well. I enjoyed the setting (Oakland) and the vivid writing makes you feel as if you're walking alongside the characters.

One other thing I was happy about is the word orchestration/combination of long and short sentences (as opposed to a lot of short sentences). To me this gives the novel more of a lyrical or poetic feel and I loved that aspect.

I truly believe the readers will enjoy Between Lovers once they settle down and begin to read...it is the type of story that takes you! to another place and that's what novels are supposed to do.

On the constructive side: the writer might want to watch those spellings of celebrity names...(Atlantic Starr). Sometimes those misspelled words stand out like a cop car sitting in front of your house. :)

In summary, I love that Eric's writing is evolving & going to an even higher level, and Between Lovers is wonderful evidence of that growth.

I've realized that the older i get i read books less because of plot and more because of the author. it's like i developed a small fan base of authors. Eric jerome dickey was definitely on mine when i read "cheaters" and "milk in my coffee", so i picked up "between lovers" without even reading the inside cover on the story. i just expected it to be good. as much as i hate to say this, dickey magic wriing quality didn't quite do it for me in this one. it was ok, but not the best example of his writing.
The story is about a nameless protagonist who have been involved with Nicole for the past seven years. she broke off an engagement to figure out a certain part of herself- her latent desire for women, that is. so she moves up to oakland and becomes involved with the fierce and attractive Ayanna. The protagonist and Ayanna are involved with Nicole at the same time, hence compete fiercley for her love. Then a tragic event happens, speeches are made and the protagnoist moves on with his life.
More or less, that's how the story goes, with a few plots. my main problems were with the characters. in dickey's other novels, the characters are examined and their personality shines. "between lovers" seemed to be motivated by the plot. for starters, i had a problem with that protagonist. from other clues in the book, i'm guessing that he's educated, cultured but when it comes to open mindedness he fails completely. For example, when he explains what he has over Ayanna he says, "Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve." That phrase i thought was completely off. If he was as educated as the book suggested, he wouldn't simply throw it in her face that she can't give Nicole a baby. Didn't the thought ever cross his mind that maybe Nicole didn't want a baby? Nor is he really religious. To me that sounded like something a person with skewed views would say. I didn't like that.
The other charcter that I didn't get was Nicole. For one, I didn't understand why both were so valiant in competing for her affections. Her character is pretty shallow and doesn't have any real emergence as a person. Insteand, she sort of flows in between the Protagonist's love and Ayanna's sweetheart, like a possesssion. There aren't any big moments she has that make her stand as one person, instead the other half of the couple. And her attempt to carry on a relationship with both simultaneously seemed to an act of selfishness and control instead the emotional uncertainty that one would experience when loving two people. The reason why i think her request seemed so selfish was because her character was allowed no real development.
The other part of the story that i had a problem with is that use of Ayanna. Out of all of the characters she was my favorite. She had drive and desire although her love for Nicole seemed to be more of an attempt for possession of an object than to have a partner. In a lot stories certain characteristics are changed to add spice to plot and to highlight a point. For example, Ibsen did it in "A Doll House" by letting Nora be that protagonist. It highlighted her problem more because she is not a majority in her society. I have a feeling that Dickey meant to use Ayanna in that way, because even in our day and age a homosexual romance is difficult to understand. He used an interesting method by including a woman to highlight the protagonist's confusion and loss, but he fell into a trap that most people do when they protray homosexuality from a mainstream perspective. Most of the interaction between the characters is sexually. I didn't see any emotional connection. I think it may make a lot of people in the LGBT community upset, because he used a stereotype as a reserve.
The charactes seemed to move through the plot instead of breaking from it. There was still some of Dickey's trademark writing. The conversations between Ayanna and the protagonist is probably my favorite moment. This novel is a good example of "porn without the porn", so to speak. But the overall, i felt numb after reading this. it didn't do anything for me. i'll just accept it as a small glitch in Dickey's career. i still would recommend him as a good read- but not this book.