I just finished reading Guilt | Pleasure’s Father Figure. It was captivating; a marvelous piece of fiction. Seductive and suspenseful; it contained a depth of sadness and anguish that inhabits but a few stories that include such violent and depraved behaviors–making no apologies–and is all but fleeting in the multitude of yaoi so readily available to English readers. I cried.
Gabriel, the main character, whose name remains unmentioned until more than halfway in, tells the story of an–in a manner of speaking–infection that took root in him in his youth. The disease slowly and steadily poisoned him; leaving him feeling empty and abandoned. As he matured, so did it. Lamentably, his mother was similarly afflicted and was bereft of even the slightest capacity to aid him in any way.The illness was passed to him from her, but as time went on it metamorphosed, appropriating many of his faculties to ensure its own survival. He reveals how, through calculated efforts, he searched for and found what he knew to be the cure. By this time, his mother had already taken permanent leave of the world. He maintained some semblance of control over his actions and, diminished as it was, his ability to feel was still present. When he found the cure, he also found the love of his life. Unfortunately, it was too late. The infection had metastasized to an inoperable point and in a few short months would consume him and the only person that ever made him feel whole.
The story goes on and the narrator changes. It has only been two weeks since I first read G | P’s New York Minute and less than a week since my most recent re-read, so you would think that I’d be a little more aware. I am still quite amazed that I didn’t know and that it took me so long to realize that Father Figure and In These Words/New York Minute were connected.
I am all together fascinated by the stories. I’ve re-read In These Words and New York Minute countless times in the two weeks that I’ve had them. I’m just too excited. I can’t wait until the next volume comes out. I’ll find ways to keep busy until that day. And there’s still Cruel to be Kind to catch up on. So, I’ll be fine… maybe.
Notes: This is a heavily abridged version; I removed all of the parts that did not directly pertain to Father Figure.