The Trio: Johanna Hedman

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Our three main characters – the ‘Trio,’ of the title, are Talbot Kydd, Elfrida Wing and Anny Vikland. Talbot, the film’s producer, is a married father of two, who is homosexual and is coming to terms with the recent law, which means that his sexuality is no longer a crime. An ex-army man; Talbot visits a friend from the war years, now living openly with a man, but is not quite comfortable in the changing world His life is still very much secretive, with an alternative flat, and identity, in London.

Instead, when Kydd finally finds the “audacity” to be himself, it takes the form of an apology and the hope (after a hand has been placed briefly on an arm) that Gary the scaffolder might yet reciprocate his desires: “It wasn’t a lot to go on but he would settle for that.” All in all, there’s something “groomed to impenetrability” about the book itself; something reserved, sequestered, non-combatant. But now I’m sounding as though I didn’t enjoy Trio, and I really did. It’s the most accomplished novel I have read in a long while. I was delighted to receive a review copy of William Boyd’s latest book because I regard him as one of my favourite writers and was looking forward very much to this release. Unfortunately and surprisingly, though, this has been a DNF for me. We watch as this unsettled trio of characters are slowly unwrapped. Each is engrossed in fighting their own particular demons as the filming draws to its end. From time to time their paths cross. Slowly it begins to dawn on each of them that their own situation is becoming more complex and less resolved. It’s all very cleverly done with thoughtful, brilliantly crafted characters and spot on dialogue. Sometimes it’s sad and often it’s hilarious, a cross between a slowly unravelling tragedy and a old ‘Carry On’ film. I absolutely loved it!Anny is a young American actress, who spends rather too much time taking drugs. She has very difficult relationships with older men and her ex-husband is currently on the run from the FBI and is rumoured to be in the UK. Meanwhile, she becomes embroiled in a relationship with her co-star, Troy Blaze (named by his management, obviously still following the traditions of Larry Parnes, rather than the more modern, Sixties promoters).

Elegant, mature and richly atmospheric, a bittersweet love story glimpsed through the veil of memory He leído reseñas y acusaciones que banalizan la novela argumentando que la historia sólo tiene lugar y avanza porque son personajes que no se comunican. Que si se parasen a hablar y a expresar a los otros cómo se sienten, contar la historia que cuenta sería imposible. Pues por supuesto que sí. POR SUPUESTO QUE SÍ. ¿Y QUÉ? Ese es justo el punto de esta obra, que los personajes dicen mucho más por lo que callan que por las escuetas y poco honestas conversaciones que mantienen. Elfrida Wing is a novelist without a novel in 10 yrs, a closet drinker and wife of the philandering director of a movie being filmed in England in 1968. Talbot Kidd is the movie’s producer, a closeted gay man. Anny Viklund, the starring actress, is sleeping with a younger man, her costar, but in another relationship with an older man . Oh and her ex husband is a terrorist on the lam. Timelessly familiar, tender and exultant, The Trio is a novel about the choices we could have made. About who we may have been, and the relationships that influence and linger on with us, long after they have come to an end.A finely judged performance: a deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction , of literary myth and imagination' Guardian on Love is Blind Unlike some of his works that do wonders with long spans of time, this one mostly delves into a particular place and time - Brighton and the year 1968. The "Trio" consists of a film producer, a writer who wrote her last novel ten years ago, and a movie actress. Each of them is not "an average person"; perhaps what makes Boyd's work resonate is that he shows that there's no such thing, there's also a lot that we all have in common. Overall through the medium of the Brighton based film we have an excellent snapshot of an historic year. This is a clever and extremely well written book as you would expect from an author of the calibre of William Boyd. There are rich descriptions which capture the tumultuous times, the sex, drugs, political upheaval and the huge seismic change both politically and socially. The brilliant characters are an excellent vehicle for reflecting this important year. I loved it and this is one book I’ll remember for a long time. Highly recommended.