Unrequited [Paperback]

James Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 2008

Aaron Edgeway lives in a ramshackle house in a provincial English town with his sick and abusive father. When he meets Victor, their romance quickly becomes an escape from the dreary prospects of his life. An escape that, unbeknownst to Victor, Aaron will do almost anything to protect.

Aaron has secrets: a scandalous videotape unwittingly recorded at a drug dealer’s party, and the unwanted affections of Alex Clay, his unruly best friend. Alex tries to free Aaron from blackmail and harassment, building a pressure-cooker atmosphere of desire and deceit. Trapped by a twist of fate, Aaron goes to lengths he never dreamed possible in order to preserve his romance with Victor.

Unrequited details a descent into heartbreak and loss, and questions the dangers of love, and the things we do in order to heal ourselves. It is a bittersweet fairytale, an erotic and cautionary fable about revenge for anyone who has suffered from a broken heart.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zumaya Publications, LLC (December 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193413564X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934135648
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,031,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Bennett is a British author of dark fantasy, horror and the occasional contemporary fable. 'Unrequited' is his first novel. He has also released the British Fantasy Award nominated 'Practical Devil Worship (For All the Family)' under the name JwBennett. Mr Bennett is presently at work on a new dark fantasy epic and is at large somewhere in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love, Hate, Murder, Vengeance, November 7, 2007

By 

K. Peoples (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unrequited (Paperback)

What a dark romance! Warning, you will not "like" any of the major characters in this book and you will be shocked at how it concludes, though the author gave signs throughout of what was coming. You will also have to pay close attention as the author jumps from one timeframe to another in successive scenes, a technique that can confuse a reader that does not pay close attention (and sometimes even to those who do). I gave the book four stars instead of five, even though it kept my attention throughout, both because I ultimately did not like the characters and because I sometimes had to work at it to follow the storyline with it bouncing between three or four different timeframes.

Still, the characters are real and human, with real foibles and real attributes. For most of the book, I really wanted Aaron's affair with Victor to work out; when it became clear that such was not to happen, then I wondered what happened to destroy their love. When I found out, I was shocked at one of the greatest betrayals I'd read in a powerful scene that compelled my complete sympathy for Aaron. I then had to deal with strong distaste for the methods of Aaron's revenge. By the end of the book, it is no longer possible to overlook Aaron's insanity, though the reasons for it are made clear. This is a very dark book, challenging to read, and focused on the role of love in gay relationships. Recommended only for those who don't crave "happily ever after" stories.

4.0 out of 5 stars It's complicated., January 8, 2010

By 

Therese L. Arkenberg (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unrequited (Paperback)

Ideally, I'd give this very dark, often beautiful, and sometimes frustrating novel 3 and a half stars, but since that isn't possible I'll err on the side of 4. It's like nothing else I've ever read. If you have recently been through a break-up, particularily a painful one, I'd suggest you keep as far away from it as possible. Its depiction of unrequited and lost love is universal (though extreme), though the lovers in question are gay, this only adds depth and several complications. As I closed the back cover, trying to think of how to describe it, I thought, "This is a story about healing. Not a _healthy_ sort of healing, but healing nevertheless." I spent most of the story hoping Aaron would stand up for himself, and when it's revealed in the final parts of the book that he has, and how, I was deeply unsettled, yet also happy for him despite myself. In the end, there remains a lingering feeling of need, betrayal, pain, and anger. And dark triumph. And love.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and gritty, October 9, 2009

By 

Ms. A. Brooke "Anne Brooke" (Godalming, Surrey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Unrequited (Paperback)

This book is an arresting read and incredibly dark and gritty. I loved the main character with his dubious morality and [...] attitude. Bennett writes from the gut and once you've started this one, it's impossible to put down until you've finished it. It comes highly recommended indeed. More from this author, please.