Title: The King and His Man

Author: Jean Zeb de la Graves

Genre: M/M Romance

 

In a modern, reimagined British Royal Family, the “House of Britain,” the Prince of Wales, Albert, is a promiscuous homosexual and an atheist, leading a louche, dissolute life that brings angry despair to his ailing father, King George V, and his younger twin sister, Elizabeth, “Lizzie,” who is consumed by jealous resentment of her older brother.

But when Albert falls in love with Paul, a mixed-race man from Durham, and marries him, everything changes. Albert is determined to bring diversity and innovation to the House of Britain and its succession, incurring the wrath of Royal traditionalists and Lizzie’s vengeance.

Graves has produced an ambitious, unorthodox novel that could have become an indulgent mess, but although it could use a bit more polish in places, it is hopelessly addictive to read and grounded in a well-thought-out premise and riveting central plot.

The story opens as Albert awakens after another evening of debauchery. There is an amusing veneer over the scene, as there is with most of the book, that cannot mask the tawdry nature of Albert’s lonely existence.

Graves strikes a captivating balance in his portrayal of Albert. In the early chapters, Albert is partly a spoiled, albeit charismatic, monarch-in-waiting, but Graves steadily adds depth and originality to the Prince’s depiction. Albert is actually sharply self-aware, quick-witted, and given to flights of knowing insight.

As events progress, Albert’s streak of selfishness widens, and he becomes increasingly volatile. Graves develops these fascinating qualities in his main protagonist with credibility and conviction.

Paul is more rational, despite being only eighteen. The chemistry between the men is clearly evident and marked by a tenderness not present in Albert’s other relationships.

Graves does not over-exaggerate the contrast in backgrounds, though he does serve up some deliciously excruciating, if poignant, instances of Paul’s past life colliding with his present. The pivotal Chinese meal with his mother is one such.

Lizzie begins the novel as a vile, pantomimic narcissist but evolves into a complex, pathetic figure for whom the reader feels some sympathy. Her primal, reverberating screaming fit is unnerving and freighted with pathos.

The narrative’s primary thrust is Albert and Paul’s decision to have a child, thereby depriving Lizzie’s daughter, Victoria, of the succession. Graves nail-bitingly builds the tension toward the moment of emotional mayhem, which unleashes a violent, life-changing series of deeds. The horribly ironic consequences of which are later foretold with chilling prescience.

Indeed, although The King and His Man is subtly tinged with absurdity and parody, it raises several ethical and moral dilemmas that grip the reader’s attention amid the Royal pomp and pageantry, which Graves lavishly recreates in vivid, detailed intensity.

The palace retainers surrounding Albert are all given unexpected desires at various moments. Sir Humphrey’s actions are the most surprising and yet satisfying. The mystery surrounding Graham remains just that, which is a bit irksome, although the droll dismissal of Mr. Leigh-Stokes is a sublime and ultimately moving piece of writing.

There are a couple of odd anachronisms that creep into Albert’s speech, and Graves does not always clearly indicate who is speaking during dialogue. The novel is lengthy, but overall, Graves maintains a breakneck pace that keeps the momentum. Nonetheless, a couple of the ceremonial scenes become dense, and the narratives’ occasional, farcical detours fail to disguise one or two superficial storylines.

The King and His Man is a riotously good read that explores provocative themes through a rich, intriguing narrative. Gloriously entertaining, wittily satirical, and sumptuously imagined, this keenly observed hubristic tragicomedy also feels strikingly relevant.

 

 

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