Denial, Deceit, Discovery

Kudos to James for having progressed so far on the path to discovery and for so articulately sharing his story!! A total success for J. I hope he's writing a second book. Whether it's a follow-up to Denial, Deceit, Discovery or something different, he has a gift for making very individual, subjective experiences relatable to all readers - regardless of any differences that may separate them on the surface. That's a gift worth celebrating and supporting. Totally loved this book. Couldn't put it down. A great insight to a gay mans struggle but totally relatable a straight girl too Tommy This book was so difficult to put down.

Welcome to the Showcase Lounge, J. Please do make yourself comfortable. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. Can we start by just asking you to tell our readers a little about yourself? I have actually been working in education for the past 15 years and always wanted to write and finally I achieved this dream. I remarried just this year to a man who is my soul mate and best friend.

Your first published work is Denial, Deceit, Discovery; a work of fiction in the style of a personal memoir. What made you decide to write this book? My wife and I were Catholics and when we divorced she requested that I support her application for an annulment from the church which then allows either party to remarry in the eyes of God. As part of the process of obtaining an annulment for my marriage I was requested by the priest to write a page expressing my situation and the feelings I experienced about men etc and the confusion around my sexuality.

I found the task difficult to do on one page and it took 6!! The priest said it was the most moving and emotional account he had ever read. I realised then that my story and experiences could really help others. I also found it incredibly cathartic. It is a work of fiction, but is it true that you have drawn on your own experiences when writing the piece? The book is based on true events and many of these are events from my own life. However, I have drawn on the stories and experiences of the many other gay men I have met over the years of which there were always common themes.

I think there is a little bit of every gay man in the main character Jack. When you first Jack he is just a pre-pubescent boy exploring the world around him. Quite early on Jack is exposed to situations that raise questions about his feelings towards others of the same sex but of course Jack is not equipped to interpret what these feelings mean.

Quickly the reader is pulled into the confusion that Jack faces around his sexuality as a young man and the complex nature of his relationships with others. His deep rooted denial and the denial of others around him is exposed very quickly in the story. Years of Denial and Deceit cause a lot of pain and suffering for those around Jack, is this something he is aware of, or is he too caught up in his own world? The greatest sadness expressed in the book is the torture that Jack faces around his own confusion and denial.

The book certainly expresses how this denial and the deceit that followed caused so much pain to others. Readers will feel such empathy but they will hate him at other times because his behaviour makes him seem so selfish. However, when the reader understands the whole story they will see that the behaviour stems from such a deep rooted denial that was unknown by others around him.

In an effort to escape the shame, Jack heads to Bangkok, how do those he leaves behind react to his departure? Once there, more deceit and discovery await Jack, can we look forward to a happy ending? Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Sep 01, Claire rated it really liked it Shelves: Denial, Deceit, Discovery by J.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Denial, Deceit, Discovery is the heart-rending story based on true events in the life of Jack Ellis; a young Catholic man deep in denial of his own homosexuality. It tells the story of how his own denial and the denial of his loved ones forced him to conform to the straight world, resulting in his marriage to his high sch Review: As I started reading, it became clear that the author was holding nothing back.

It is a brutally honest account of the intense struggle with his thoughts, feelings, lifestyle and sexuality, and at times heartbreakingly sad. I struggled to stop reading and go to sleep, becoming completely absorbed in Jack's life. There are some grammatical issues that give the book a rather unpolished feel, but this is my only criticism. The explicit scenes are well conveyed and surprisingly touching, and there are riches of humour to bring some light relief. This autobiographical account really opened my eyes and made me think.

Thanks to the author for providing me with a digital copy in return for an honest review. Generally, I'm not a fan of books written in the memoir style but Denial, Deceit, Discovery is the exception to my rule. You know those talks you have, when the TV is off, the lights are low and the couch is comfortable? When you stop talking about your job, the traffic, the next election and start sharing who you are and who you were Jack Ellis had a real talent for not thinking about the things he didn't want to think about. A talent that kept him on the s Generally, I'm not a fan of books written in the memoir style but Denial, Deceit, Discovery is the exception to my rule.

A talent that kept him on the straight and narrow and hurt everyone in his life, especially himself. James has given us a well-written, riveting story that speaks to many different truths. The truth I read is: Don't cut parts of yourself off to fit the frame; change the freaking frame: What does this book say to you? Jan 27, Ursula Teddy rated it it was amazing. This book is well written with good examples of inner conflict, honest thoughts and feelings. This is an interesting book that's essentially autobiographical.

Bizarrely, Amazon have it listen under 'erotica', and whilst there are some pretty explicit scenes of gay sex, the general jist is far from being erotic, and instead involves a lot of rather intense soul-searching. Where it fails is in the unevenness of the writing that badly needs attention to punctuation and grammar.

Oct 08, John A. Great Book This is a great story of a gay man finding himself. It also really shows how cruel the world can be sometimes. The action was great and foreshadowing better. I don't really care for famous peoples stories, but I do love the interesting stories of the average, everyday "Joe", or..

Ummm, "Jack" as the case may be. The author walks us though his life experiences, his first time seeing an erect Penis, his first orgasm, first physical experience with another boy. He leads us down the road of his run ins with the high school bullies. Attending college and later his career. We see the first time he meets the woman who will later become his wife. The engagement and marriage. The first time he meets the man who will forever change his life and help him have to courage to face who he truly is.

He takes us through the denial because it's definitely not just a river in Egypt , the bargaining, the deceit and finally the admission and the acceptance. It's a long and winding road with many bumps in it that Jack takes. This story was intriguing and eloquently told. It was at times heartbreaking, yet it's highly interesting, entertaining, funny, at times hot as hell and very well written. It held me captivated, sitting on the edge of my seat to see where the next leg of his journey would lead him.

The author is a gifted storyteller and I hope to see more from him in the future.

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A highly recommended read! Apr 20, Michael rated it it was amazing. This book is so relevant to so many men around the world - I could not put it down from beginning to end! I have actually read the book twice now as I had missed some nuances the first time around This book is so relevant to so many men around the world - I could not put it down from beginning to end! I have actually read the book twice now as I had missed some nuances the first time around - I enjoyed it just as much the second time and found myself deeper into the character.

The way the author tells his story with no holes barred is incredibly honest and daring, however it makes sense to the story. I can only imagine that it would have been a very hard road revisiting some of those anecdotes and heart-aches to achieve the end result, which is this book.

Apr 26, Brittany rated it really liked it Shelves: This story was a riveting read, very quick to get through because it is hard to put down! This is a story about a man coming to terms with himself and his new identity and what that means for the people he loves. It is heartfelt and true to the mark. The writing is raw, it is graphic and during the story you find yourself feeling a thousand different ways about the characters, especially Jack, the main character.

Jack is at times selfish and at others incredibly selfless, he makes very smart cho This story was a riveting read, very quick to get through because it is hard to put down!

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Jack is at times selfish and at others incredibly selfless, he makes very smart choices and at other times you find yourself screaming at him for being so foolish. I think it is a credit to the writer when a book can evoke those emotions. The writing isn't the most refined, but the story reads well and the style definitely suits the story in terms of it being a psudeo-biography. I won this book in a Goodreads first reads giveaway and I am incredibly glad I did and was able to read this story. Gay, straight, confused or just an ally, this is a must read to help people understand what life is like for those who struggle to accept themselves.

This book is very much the story of many men who were born in the 40's and 50's when it was essential to be in the closet.

Denial, Deceit, Discovery

It also resulted in many of these men ending up with many men ending up with a split personality where they could be married, have children and sometimes sex which was generally disappointing. Eventually, there was a discovery that ended with the gay men realizing the he was gay. This would later result in him telling his wife that he was gay and causing her confusion, pain This book is very much the story of many men who were born in the 40's and 50's when it was essential to be in the closet. This would later result in him telling his wife that he was gay and causing her confusion, pain and fear.

Mostly the marriages didn't survive although friendships might evolve between the husband and wife. However, mostly the marriages dissolved and both people were hurt mentally and self esteem was hurt as well.