Benedict makes his way to Scotland for an auction at the manor of his former lover, Euan. He hasn’t seen Euan in thirty years, and in fact, has repressed his nature since the man left him in a rather abrupt manner back at university. But the auction is not what Ben believes it to be, and there are far more elements at play here than he understood.

This is a short novella (just under 3 hrs audio time) set in the late nineteeth century. It’s full of internalized homophobia, religious rhetoric, and angst. But also a bit of hope as Ben realizes that his fear of being gay, and his desire to not be “sinful,” is actually more of a trauma response to what happened to him after his first affair in his early 20s. Honestly, I found the story to a be a bit clunky and disjointed, but it was an enjoyable listen and I’m definitely willing to try more by the author!

Performance: The audio was read by Gary Furlong, who made this a very pleasant listen.