Ezekiel Murphy takes up a job as an attendant in a London lavatory. The other two attendants explain that they are under pressure from the council to reduce the amount of casual sex that goes on in the cubicles, but in doing so, they risk putting themselves out of a job as turnstile takings fall.
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Review
'A smart, raw, telling modern parable!'
John Vasconcellos, California State Senator
'Gents is one of those rare little gems, like Ben Rice's Pobby & Dingan, that punches so far above its weight that it will effortlessly knock you out.'
John Self, The Asylum website
'A startling, wonderful book.'
Times Educational Supplement
About the Author
Warwick Collins is the author of a number of previously acclaimed novels, including the two other works in the trilogy, The Marriage Of Souls and The Rationalist, Computer One and the international best-seller, Gents.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By J. Lynam
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Three West Indian men working as toilet attendants in a local council run public convenience in London which is frequented by homosexual men doesn't soumd too promising a premise for a good story. This long, short story is however quite engaging and thought provoking. The three main characters are simply but skillfully drawn and their catch 22 situation believable in our absurd, modern world. They are asked to disuade the regular users who frequent it for casual sex and successfully do so at the expense of profitability. The inevitable consequence is that their success leads to the eventual failure of the council run venture but a surprise private enterprise initiative saves the day and the business. A good read for anybody with an open mind or for those with closed bowels and plenty of time to sit on the toilet!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By G. Brack
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
You won't need much more than an evening to read this little gem - it's only 140 pages and widely spaced at that - but it should reward the effort. I have to thank Amazon Vine, because I would never have picked it up in a bookshop, and the hyperbolic publisher's guff would have turned me off. This isn't a "masterpiece", and you could argue about whether it's even a novel, or just an overgrown short story, but it's a charming description of three West Indians trying to do an honest job in a gents' public toilet. Described thus, it doesn't sound exciting, but the characters are warm and clear, and they each undergo changes in view through the pages as they first try to discourage cottaging in their toilet, then discover that their clientele has vanished. I won't describe the plot in any more detail than that.
I was surprised to discover that the author wasn't West Indian (nor, so far as I know, does he work in a public toilet), and no doubt West Indian reviewers will tell us whether it captures their experience. All I can say is that it sounds authentic to me, which may simply expose my ignorance. I found myself caring which one was going to be laid off, if any, and hoping that they could make a success of the toilet. Yes, it's a miniature, but that doesn't mean it is sketchy or ill-constructed, or that it doesn't deal with important matters. As an examination of what it means to be tolerant, it works well even in this concise format.
I was surprised to discover that the author wasn't West Indian (nor, so far as I know, does he work in a public toilet), and no doubt West Indian reviewers will tell us whether it captures their experience. All I can say is that it sounds authentic to me, which may simply expose my ignorance. I found myself caring which one was going to be laid off, if any, and hoping that they could make a success of the toilet. Yes, it's a miniature, but that doesn't mean it is sketchy or ill-constructed, or that it doesn't deal with important matters. As an examination of what it means to be tolerant, it works well even in this concise format.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This took me under two hours to read, but they were two highly enjoyable hours.
Beautifully written with humour and wit, this book relates the dilemma of a gents public toilet in London; if the toilet attendants clear the facility of the unsavoury element ("reptiles"), the place becomes uneconomical.
I loved the Jamaican characters, all three of the beautifully drawn, and the way they cleaned the place so thouroughly that it didn't feel like an unsavoury setting at all!
This sparse book was spot-on, highly recommended.
Beautifully written with humour and wit, this book relates the dilemma of a gents public toilet in London; if the toilet attendants clear the facility of the unsavoury element ("reptiles"), the place becomes uneconomical.
I loved the Jamaican characters, all three of the beautifully drawn, and the way they cleaned the place so thouroughly that it didn't feel like an unsavoury setting at all!
This sparse book was spot-on, highly recommended.
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3.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky and touching
Initially found the setting rather quirky but it is all part of the plot and is a wise and warm tale
Published 4 months ago by White owl
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quirky read
I really enjoyed this short quirky novella despite its subject matter. I'll definitely be looking out for other books by this Author if this is a good example of his writing. Read more
Published 9 months ago by B. Robinson
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good quick read.
I really didn't know what to expects from Gents, and found its simple set up of three main characters and their lives which centred on running a Gents toilet and some of the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Manda Moo
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a toilet book
Gents is a modern drama about toilet attendants. It is a success in taking a pointedly ignored profession and developing an involving story around them. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2010 by O. Parker
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual and engaging
Perhaps the only novel to be set in a public toilet and unusual in some other ways too, just one of those that keeps you reading to find out what happens next; an undemanding way... Read more
Published on 16 April 2010 by John Richard
3.0 out of 5 stars
quick read
Gents is a short novel written by Warwick Collins that attempts to deal with the issues of race, sexuality and tolerance to others with a degree of humour. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2009 by cduk2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
Is a book set in men's toilets in London worth a read?
Well this is a topic I'd not have considered but it's a short read and can easily be read in one sitting. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2009 by D. Curwen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gentle and touching but lacks substance
A really gentle and warming picture of the relationship between coworkers in a London loo, touching on some very important themes -- racism, immigration and homosexuality -- but... Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2008 by bookrunner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wryly funny
A public convenience is a strange workplace, there's something quite Dickensian about them, who wants to linger in one? Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2008 by Neil Lewis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite amusing
This is quite an amusing yet interesting book. I didn't think I would find the subject matter all that engaging but this book is more than it appears and makes us look at ourselves... Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2008 by J. Page
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