Christos Tsiolkas

Tsiolkas writes characters and their emotions beautifully. This novel details the relationship that grows between Ivan and Perry, two middle-aged men coming to terms with their pasts.
There are explicit sex scenes in the book- something that is rarely included nowadays.
The story became a little disjointed for me in the last third, however. New characters were introduced and the novel began to feel more like a series of vignettes.

I couldn't finish Damascus. Too sordid for my tastes, so I put it down. Perhaps another time...

I liked the premise of the book and the question it posed. I found the characters a little exaggerated and think I would have related more had they been more nuanced.

I loved The Slap (to many people to dislike) and this book provided a few detestable characters too. I didn't race through it though as I didn't enjoy the story - found it hard going at times.