I added this to wish list back in 2011 and got it this Christmas – the interval meaning I came to it with no expectations.
Although the blurb on the back calls Matthew a “close friend” of William it is absolutely clear that they are lovers.
William’s sister-in-law Elizabeth acknowledges this telling him “Remember, the best way to hold a bird is with an open hand. Give Matt that freedom. He’ll love you the more for it.” (p178)
World War One creates a context in which masculinity is celebrated in a very narrow expression – as poet and composer neither William nor Matthew fit that expression despite their time in the trenches. As the novel ends the focus moves to brother Jack, who returns from the trenches even more of a broken personality that when he went – treating Elizabeth with emotional and physical cruelty – conforming but deeply trapped by masculinity’s toxicity.
The novel also explores William’s Welshness – at one point when they get news that the Eisteddfod will be held in Birkenhead his mother calls him Gwilym “He laughed, delighted at Mam’s delight and her rare use of his Welsh name.” (p183) – the Eisteddfod coming to them a validation of their ongoing inclusion within the Welsh nation.
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