The Clouds Still Hang: The Complete Trilogy

A complete trilogy which is a candid, true memoir of a gay man's life, telling a story of love and loyalty, betrothal and betrayal, triumph and tragedy; charting one gay man's attempts to rise above the legacy of a traumatic childhood. The first book deals with Simon's childhood friendship and eventually love affair with an older boy and early sexualisation, the second the trauma of his teenage years and early adulthood, the third his struggle to maintain equilibrium and the disastrous consequences of his failure at one point to achieve that and his fight back to self acceptance. Based on the author's own life, it will strike a chord with many who have been through similar things, as well as those with an interest in such matters, such as police and probation officers, those involved with the gay / LGBT community etc. It's a varied, exciting, demanding, sometimes terrifying life story. Of adult nature in places, it contains some explicit sexual narrative, including sexual violence.

Review :
An amazing book!! "This beautifully written story about the power of love, and the ability to forgive oneself is the most moving book I have read in a long time. Bravo!" Very powerful and thought provoking read. "Just finished Clouds. Been through full range of emotions - sympathy, disappointment, frustration, but what a read. Loved it." "I've never read a book that's taken hold of me in such an emotional way. It's on my mind weeks later. I see your pics on your website and I can see the book I read. Lovely." The twists and turns and ups and downs of Simon's life were addictive. I couldn't wait to resume reading every evening, but he was always on my mind when I went to sleep. I really felt I knew Simon well. Tough to read but worth it, After reading the first book "The Book of Daniel" I felt such anguish at it's ending so I downloaded this trilogy "The Clouds Still Hang" which continues with the two additional books of the story. During the second book my stomach was a wreck, my guts were twisted. This story is tough to read but well worth it. I just wanted to fix all the problems Simon faced throughout the remaining story. So many people with their own agendas causing situations that Simon couldn't control. Even at the end of the book I feel like a good cry. This is an honest and perceptive "account of one person's struggle with the demons within" ... by the end of the book, the stance is more decidedly positive: Simon achieves a measure of contentment through an acceptance of the duality of his nature, that he can love deeply his wife of many years at the same time as being unashamed of homosexual loves both in his past and present. There are no easy answers offered, but the struggle itself (which the book is an expression of) seems to be held up as achievement and accomplishment enough. Can any of us really hope for more from life? Finished the book earlier this week. A very emotional read. Your book was v enjoyable, emotional and sad. Tweets are not long enough to explain the roller coaster of emotions I felt. how I wished I could have been there to help so many times. Again ty for this book One of the more enjoyable reads I have had in some time .... I immediately bought the complete book in both the print and eBook versions. That attests to how eager I was to follow the story of Simon and Daniel, and how obligated I felt to the author for providing me with such a wonderful experience. Your book touched me deeply; it dealt with the subject of coming of age with a similar attitude to my own. Until lately, that was unknown in the published world, and it is still rare. You were able to engage me as a reader and as a person; that is special, and it would have been ungrateful and unforgivable of me to remain silent about what you have written. I have just finished reading this book, this beautifully written book. It's a story about 2 young boys that form a beautiful friendship, that goes into a tale of their sexual awakenings. I could not put it down, I read many many books, and this hand on heart is the best thing I have read. the last view chapters I was in tears. Follow anything this guy writes, this book is a classic. Altogether, for me this is a breakthrough book for its sensitive portrayal of adolescent sexuality, and its ability to relate to most people's childhood experiences. This is a wonderful little book about a slowly developing love story. The story of these two boys who are friends, then lovers, their family lives, their mutual admiration and friendship and the word that they never dare to say. It is a tender story, it is a loving story, at times funny, at times sad, at times sexy - a bit like life.