"I might have done some bad things in my life - certainly a lot of things the Bible comes down pretty hard on - but there were lines I had not, would not, ever even come close to crossing. Things I knew instinctively were wrong, and that cried out for justice even back in the day when I was at my most desperate point".
"It felt like I was trapped in quicksand or ice: the situation was dire, and it was only going to get worse, but I seemed to be incapable of moving to do anything about it".
The Enemy Within by Adam Macqueen (Eye/Lightning) is a compulsive thriller, set in 1984. This is a sequel to the acclaimed Beneath the Streets, which was longlisted for the Polari Prize.
This follow-up is powerfully evocative of the period of the British history of the 1980s. The historical background feels authentic and believable. There is real sense of foreboding as the story unfolds.
Tommy Wildeblood, a mature student of English Lit, is attending an Anti-Nazi protest, when he meets Liam Delaney. Liam is a student at Polytechnic of North London, who works part-time for Ken Livingston's council. The student union has voted to defy the orders of the High Court that Harrington (editor of National Front Views) should be allowed to enter all the premises of the polytechnic.
There is a skirmish with the police, and Tommy, Liam and several others find themselves arrested as obstructing the police in their duties.
Tommy is immediately attracted to Liam, but he has a "new policy" of not jumping in bed with any man he fancies. At twenty nine, he is on the hunt for someone he "could have an actual relationship with, or at least try out the concept for size".
It's been eight years since Tommy was a rent boy and worked the Dilly. He is hoping to leave his scandal-hunting days behind him, but the politics is all around him. Apart from the battle against the National Front, there are miners' strikes which will be later described as "creative destruction". And there is a deadly new disease called AIDS spreading its tentacles.
The country is split, and everyone has to pick a side. Tommy's sympathies lie with the miners. The students around him romanticise the revolutionary movements. On a pretext of attending a revolutionary summer camp (in reality wanting to spend more time with Liam), Tommy enrols both of them for a weekend at the College of Marxist Education.
The two are drawn deeper into the unsavoury side of radical politics. As their romance blossoms, Tommy has to face up to how little he knows about his new flame.
"There were certain things that would be unforgivable even in someone as handsome as Liam, and while I'm hardly in a position to lecture anyone on illegal activities, I do have some principles. Mrs Thatcher refused to negotiate with terrorists - I wasn't going to fuck them either".
As the story unfolds, you get glimpses into Tommy's background, and see his vulnerability. He accepts his dark past, but is determined to get his life on the right track. If only he could trust Liam... and he makes a big mistake of falling in love with someone who has so many secrets.
Set around the true events of the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where Prime Minister and her cabinet are staying for the Conservative Party conference, you're plunged deep into the darkly engrossing chapters of the British history of the 1980s.
The book is a mix of fictional and real life characters. You meet a flamboyant Derek Jarman, young Corbyn, Maggie Thatcher herself and her cronies. The blend of fiction with real history is superbly done.
There is such a rich cast of vividly painted characters. Some sub-plots are exceptionally moving and heartbreaking.
The Enemy Within is filled with depth, conflicting convictions and empathy. It's a moving and profound, emotionally powerful read. Gripping, unflinching and full of twists and turns.
Eye/Lightning has introduced me to so many fantastic authors. Macqueen is definitely a name that I will be looking out for.
Many thanks to Adam Macqueen and Eye/Lightning for my e-copy of the book1
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