It is a long time since I've found myself laughing out loud over a book (note to self - read more fun stuff) but this quick short story is just brilliantly funny. Anyone who has read Jonathan Hill's stories about the accident prone Maureen will know that he can handle comedic scenes, but this is an entire step up in class. His observation is first class: when did he meet my family?
In some recent publications he has been successfully exploring very serious themes, most especially in FAG, reviewed here.
In A Christmas Outing, David, our narrator, has chosen a family trip to the local Christmas market as the best time to come out as gay to his parents, a terrifying proclamation that may forever change his relationship with them. Hill has managed to perfectly combine this momentous event with quite hysterical slapstick, yet the all the time the reader is kept aware that this is one of the toughest conversations David may ever face.
Beautifully handled, poignant and funny, what more could you ask for, other than a new full length novel, of course.
Five Stars
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