Quill by Neal Drinnan

Quill Quill

By Neal Drinnan

Quill is the story of literary bad boy Elliot Bernard, an acclaimed writer whose greatest fiction is his own life and whose strongest impact is upon those who love him. Divided into two parts, Quill reveals the layers of Bernard's life from the outside. In "Je Louse," Blaise, Elliot Bernard's ex-lover, is forbidden by his controlling current boyfriend from reading Bernard's latest novel, Je Louse. Forced to read it in secret, Blaise discovers that Bernard's novel is a roman à clef that reveals all manner of secrets and hidden truths about Blaise, his old relationship with Bernard, and his current lover Woodrow.

The second part, "Gridiron," is told from the perspective of Bernard's long-suffering mother Rose. Though Rose recognizes her son's importance as a novelist, she has always been uncomfortable with his flamboyant lifestyle. Now, at his funeral, she is forced to confront the past that created the writer Elliot Bernard from her small town son, Berni, a figure she has always loved but never understood.

Insightful, compelling, and brilliant, Quill moves between past and present, fiction and reality as Neal Drinnan weaves a stunning portrait of a writer and his impact on all that surround him.

Neal Drinnan is the author of the novels Glove Puppet and Pussy's Bow. He lives in Sydney, Australia. Visit his Web site at www.nealdrinnan.com.

Curious for more? Try these excerpts:

Excerpts from Quill
- Excerpt One: From Chapter One: The publication of Elliot Bernard’s latest novel is the cause of domestic upheaval between Bernard’s ex-boyfriend and his current lover.
- Excerpt Two: From Chapter Three: Forbidden to read Bernard’s latest – but doing so on the sly anyway – Blaise begins to pick at the cracks in his relationship with Woodrow.
- Excerpt Three: From Chapter Ten: Woodrow – also reading Bernard’s book behind Blaise’s back – finds some uncomfortable similarities between himself and a character in Bernard’s book.
- Excerpt Four: From Chapter Twelve: An excerpt from Bernard’s book – Je Louse – with the literary doppelgangers of Blaise (Pascal) and Woodrow (Wolfgang).
- Excerpt Five: From Part Two, "Gridiron": After Elliot Bernard’s death, his mother comes from the country for the memorial service hosted by his friends and lover.

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