Here’s a summary of reviews received by Better Than Easy.
Richard Labonte – Books To Watch Out For
“Can love last? Can gay men find domestic contentment? Alexander asks and answers pesky questions central to the homo condition in this perceptive, entertaining novel that showcases his warm wit, his wry insight, and his commendable knack for crafting queer characters with real dimension. Gay fiction doesn’t get much better than Better Than Easy.” Continue reading
“Cold And Dry” by Nick Alexander © 2007 – All rights reserved
Kelly lowers the final bag of shopping into the boot of the car and stretches her back which – at the mere thought of unloading at the other end – is starting to ache. She turns to the caddy for the wine. The shopping is heavy, but it is the wine – four bottles in each mini-crate – that she hates carrying the most. And she’s sick of shopping which is unusual for her, but Christmas, well, the list just goes on and on. Continue reading
David Llewellyn – Time Out London, June 7th 2007
Question: when is a collection of short stories not a collection of short stories? Answer: when it’s a novel. And when is a novel not a novel? When it’s a collection of short stories.
Nick Alexander’s 13:55 Eastern Standard Time is one of those books. It belongs to a genre in both literature and film for which, as far as I know, there is no name. It follows in the footsteps of Shortcuts, Magnolia and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s morbidly titled Death Trilogy, in that it weaves together a tapestry of multiple narratives and characters through chance meetings and meaningful confidences. Continue reading
Alice stares at the Christmas lights, reflected and flashing on the shiny streets of the city below, then she pulls back her focal point and watches as the droplets of rain chase each other down the pane.
“Eight million…” she says quietly. Continue reading
I sat at the edge of the sea today,
And watched the constrained stillness,
I wondered where it came from,
Wondered what the agent of calm was. Continue reading
Here’s a summary of press reviews for Good Thing, Bad Thing.
Time Out Magazine Nov 2006 – Paul Burston
“Alexander is a keen observer of gay relationships, and it’s the fall-out from these which proves the most gripping, as Tom suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and Mark is forced to question the depth of his love for him. Bad things happen in this book, but out of them something good emerges. Ultimately, it’s a tale about forgiveness, and a rewarding one at that.” Continue reading
At a dinner party a few weeks ago, the subject of climate change came up.
“Did you look at that guide in the Guardian,” someone said, turning to look at me. Specifically – I note – at me.
I frowned. “Yeah, I did actually,” I said. “It was good.”
“You need to,” my assailant replied, wiggling a finger. “All those flights!”
And everyone around the dinner table nodded knowingly. Smugly, even. Continue reading
Wayne Clews Attitude Magazine – October 2005
You may not have been fortunate enough to have read Nick Alexander’s first novel,‘50 Reasons to Say Goodbye’, but no matter, the sequel, ‘Sottopassaggio’, stands on its own as a novel and can beread independently.We pick up the story of Mark who winds up in Brighton, recovering from ahorrific car crash. Fragile and lonely, Mark attempts to put the past behind him and build anew life for himself. The novel follows his first tentative steps back into the gay scene, developing a crush on unavailable men and renewing an old friendship with Jenny only to discover she has disturbing problems of her own. Ultimately, ‘Sottopassaggio’ is a tale of redemption and resilience; a tender, moving and deeply satisfying read. Continue reading
Paul Burston -Time Out (London) – Sept 28th 2004
Mark is a single gay man who’s desperately looking for love. Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet mastered the gay art of cruising for sex while concealing your true feelings. Faced with a potential lover, he lets his desperation show through and his imagination run away with him. He falls in love with Dirk, who just wants to be friends, and with Hugo, who hangs around for a while before deciding that this isn’t the relationship for him. He has devastating crushes on Frenchmen and Italians. Continue reading
Nick Alexander 