Micah Nemerever

These Violent Delights

When Paul enrols at university he’s hoping to move on from the recent death of his father. His sensitive and emotionally insecure nature makes him incomprehensible to his family, who are also coming to terms with their grief. Paul feels isolated and alone, although his situation changes when he meets worldly student Julian in his freshman ethics class. Paul is immediately drawn to his classmate’s effortless charm, who he regards as his sole intellectual equal, and will stop at nothing to prove himself worthy of their friendship. Life with Julian is more invigorating than Paul could ever have imagined, but Julian is also volatile and capriciously cruel and Paul becomes increasingly afraid that he can never live up to what Julian expects of him. As their friendship slides into an all-consuming spiral of intimacy, they each learn the lengths to which the other will go to stay together and their obsession hurtles them towards an act of irrevocable violence. These Violent Delights is an exquisitely plotted analysis of sociopathy and dysfunctional relationships.

Paperback: 480 Pages

Language: English

Format: Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & Audio CD

5/5
Reviewed By Reviewed By Violeta Nedkova
“If you like gay fiction, dark academia, sociopathic protagonists, and dysfunctional relationships, then this book is for you.”
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GAY FICTION LOVE STORY WITH MURDER AND SOCIOPATHY

When I jumped into this book, I expected a story about two young men in University who fall in love and everything goes wrong. Well, while this short summary is technically correct, the book delivers so much more than this.

The initial pull to this story was the sociopath angle, where you know one or two of these individuals will become or are already one. While sociopaths are made, psychopaths are born, and while it’s hard to discern which it is in this case, I do believe one of these men is a sociopath, and I won’t tell you which one. It will become clear very soon, if you decide to read this book.

I honestly did not expect so much raw emotion, so much deep exploration into the human psyche, and more specifically, the human wickedness. I did not expect to be reading an origin story of a villain basically. And I definitely did not expect that I’d be reading one of the most dysfunctional gay love stories, in great detail. At some point, you’re not sure what’s love and what is pure tragedy.

I won’t lie, this was very heavy, and at times, impossible to read book. And some of you might not like the ending.

But if you’re like me and you like the full human experience, including the deepest and darkest parts, this might be your cup of tea. For a psychologist and emotional reader like me, this was just perfect, and heartbreaking. Truly a story I’ll remember for years to come.

So do with this what you will. I do recommend this for what it is – a very heavy, very real, excellently written debut.

I’d call it a ‘psychological drama’ and give it a 5/5 rating. Truly exceptional delivery.

Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova

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