Customer Reviews

Probation

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I just finished this book and all I can say is....WOW! I know this sounds really cliche, but I could not put this book down for more than a few minutes at a time. I don't know who this Tom Mendicino guy is, but I can guarantee, any book he puts out from here on I'm going to buy the day it comes out. It has been a long time since I have read a book this well written. Kind of reminded me of the reaction I had when I read my first Pat Conroy book many years ago.....Every page just blew me away. Buy this book, you definitely won't be disappointed!

Andy Nocera faces a catastrophic change in his quiet, suburban married life, when he is caught having gay sex at a North Carolina highway rest stop. Fired from his job, and thrown out by his wife, he finds himself moving in with his mother, who (literally) bailed him out after his arrest, and arranges with the court for probation conditional on attending regular counseling sessions with a psychiatrist who also happens to be a Jesuit priest.

This first time novelist hits a home run with this multi-layered story of a gay man coming of age and finally accepting his own sexuality, after two decades of trying to convince himself he could be a "normal" husband and father. While trying to salvage what is left of his dwindling self-respect and ambition, his character tries to reconcile with estranged relatives, and is forced to face his own mortality in dealing with his mother's lymphoma diagnosis, while wondering if his infidelity sentences him to a lifetime devoid of finding true love and happiness. A powerful, emotional, well-written story, which I strongly recommend, I give it five eloquent stars out of five!

- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

For a first novel this is really something special. I won't repeat the plot line, but suffice to say the story held my attention and I had a hard time putting it down. I love the way the author alternates between the past and the present in telling the story-it has been done before but it works beautifully here. Very well written, suspenseful, touching and thought-provoking. All in all, a very good read!

I stumbled upon Probation in Amazon, before which I knew nothing of Mendicino's first novel. One word - fantastic. Mendicino has captured in a stunning account the life of a middle-aged man caught in a circle of despair and desire, grappling with his feelings and the realities that accompanied his arrest and ongoing rehabilitation.

The book's review on Amazon made me expect something a bit more salacious, but it ends up being an indepth look at the lead character's emotions, motivations and journey.

One of the very best gay fiction books I've ever read. It's refreshing to find a novel that doesn't rely on the old tropes of 'coming of age', campy cultural references, or rainbows and skittles romance to describe the gay experience. This book is well worth the price.

I read this book and it made me uncomfortable. This book mirrored certain aspects and feelings that I have as an older gay man (I am in my 40's). Regret, unable to face certain mistakes, lonliness, a death of a parent, changes in career, loss of supposed friends and emotional support. What the character felt and went through, I identified with it. The fact that the character and I are in the same age group helped me identify with him tremendously.
This book hit home in many aspects but it also gave a sense of hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Will definitely read this book again, and, order a few copies for my friends. Thank you Mr. Mendicino. Well done.

Andy Nocera has been married for twenty years to the woman he loves like no other. Unfortunately, he realizes at some point in his marriage that he's very very gay. The story opens shortly after Andy is arrested when caught having sex with another man in a public restroom. Kicked out of his house, he now lives with his mother and must attend weekly counseling sessions with a psychiatrist/priest named Matt.

The novel takes place mainly over the course of that first year, extending for a bit beyond. It's told in narrative form by Andy, and contains powerful imagery. Tom Mendicino has great command over the English language, and virtually every sentence is carefully constructed with powerful emotions and imagery as Andy tries to confront his demons and find happiness.

This is definitely not light material. Not only is every sentence carefully constructed and emotion-packed, Andy is a very very depressed and negative person. He still loves his wife and hates himself for hurting her so badly. He hates himself for what he did and what he is, and is trapped in a spiral of self-destructive behavior. The only flaw I could find in the book is that for a very very very long time, until the very final chapters, Andy vents great frustration, self-hatred, selfishness, and just about every other negative emotion possible. It's an emotionally-taxing novel to read. I felt that there should have been a few breaks for the reader as it is difficult to be confronted with so much hatred and despair for such a long time. The ending was uplifting, but not by a great deal. It was more a matter of it being very uplifting by comparison to everything that preceded it. We see that Andy is finally coming to peace with himself and finding happiness, but I felt he still wasn't embracing life and love fully and unconditionally.

That said, it's still a very powerful, emotional, and expertly-crafted novel. True emotions felt by any middle-aged gay man are present within these pages, and many of us can find parts of ourselves in Andy. There are passages that surprise you with how strongly and suddenly they hit you in the gut. The author taps into very primal and universal emotions present within us all and without hesitation rips them from your heart.

It's not light, it's rarely fun (if at all), but it's powerful and emotion-provoking. It often forces you to confront yourself and pray that you're strong enough to continue reading.

Probation reminds me of the novels of Richard Ford, which is high praise indeed. Andy's journey through the angst and troubled joys of human relationships is insightful, funny, sad and life affirming, a story to which anyone can relate. I hope this book doesn't get labeled "gay lit" - as a heterosexual male former English major, I would call it "Literature." Tom Mendicino has made it on my list of authors I will watch, waiting impatiently for his next book to appear.

Though a bit of a downer at times, "Probation" is ultimately redemptive. Andy Nocera, like most of us, walks the line between likable and unlikable. I found this book satisfying, with a weight, a solidness, that I think will stick with me for a great while.

Extremely well written novel about somewhat forced coming out of the middle aged gay man. This writer definitely has my credit of trust now and I hope his next book is just as good.

What a well written book that covers all the challenges gay men experience in life. What a great journey!!
I loved this book!