Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
A charmingly joyful, surprising story about love, acceptance, and self-expression from the acclaimed author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle . Fans of the musical “Kinky Boots” and Byron Lane’s Big Gay Wedding will have their hearts stolen by Becoming Ted !
If Ted Ainsworth were to compare himself to one of the ice cream flavors made by his family’s company, famous throughout his sleepy Lancashire hometown, it might be vanilla—sweet, inoffensive, and pleasantly predictable. At forty-three, Ted is convinced there’s nothing remotely remarkable about him, except perhaps his luck in having landed handsome, charismatic Giles as a husband.
Then Giles suddenly leaves him for another man, filling his social media feed with posts about #newlove and adventure. And Ted, who has spent nearly twenty years living with, and often for , another person, must reimagine the future he has happily taken for granted.
But perhaps there is another Ted slowly blossoming now that he’s no longer in Giles’s shadow—funny, sassy, more uninhibited. Someone willing to take chances on new friendships, and even new love. Someone who’s been waiting in the wings too long, but who’s about to dust off a long-ago secret dream and overturn everyone’s expectations of him—especially his own. . .
Review:
I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I always love when I find books focused on middle-aged gay men, especially when they are more than just a cliche or a side character, and that is precisely what I got from this book.
In this novel, readers are introduced to Ted Ainsworth, a character who may seem ordinary at first glance but proves to be anything but. Ted is a 40-something-year-old gay man who is happily married and works at his parent’s ice cream shop in Lancashire. Ted’s job isn’t exactly exciting, and he knows he lets people walk all over him, but he has a super-sexy husband named Giles, a lovely house, and a sweet dog. You can’t have everything, right? And at least he has stability, and he’s happy.
But when Ted stumbles upon pictures of his beloved husband with another man, and Giles confesses that he has been seeing someone and wants to end their marriage, Ted’s world shatters. Ted’s entire life has been driven by what Giles thought or wanted. Who is Ted without him? How could he possibly go on?
With the help and encouragement of his best friend and fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race fan, Denise, Ted discovers a new side of himself. Giles didn’t want Ted to join the choir because it was too gay, and Ted was too afraid to admit to Giles that he’d dreamed of doing drag since he saw his first drag queen when he was a kid. But Giles isn’t around anymore, and Ted is going to chase his dreams, and along the way, he’ll find out that he is just fine without Giles, thank you very much.
What resonated with me the most in this book was how the author paints a detailed portrait of Ted, allowing us to truly understand his thoughts, fears, and desires. Ted was incredibly relatable. How many of us turn over so much of ourselves to our partner that, eventually, our life decisions rest on their shoulders? How many of us have given up parts of ourselves just to make our significant other happy?
I loved how the author explored these themes and how relatable it all was. We witness Ted’s struggles and triumphs as he navigates the murky waters of heartbreak and self-discovery. Ted’s transformation from a timid, self-doubting man into a confident and liberated individual is a joy to witness. The author handles Ted’s character development with sensitivity and nuance, and I couldn’t help but root for him the entire way.
Cain’s writing style is engaging, and the dialogue is witty and natural, adding depth to the characters and bringing them to life. The relationships portrayed in the book feel authentic and heartfelt, making it easy to invest in the characters’ journeys. I also loved how effortlessly Cain balances light-hearted banter with poignant reflections, creating a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The novel’s emotional depth is complemented by its sharp wit, making it thoroughly enjoyable.
I also appreciated the side story of Oskar ( a new guy that Ted meets along his journey). Oskar is Polish and struggles with his sexuality. He deals with internalized homophobia and struggles with his identity. While his story is important (hello, I’ve been there), I sometimes felt it weighed down the story a bit. It didn’t ruin the book for me, but it would have worked just as well without it. There was also a side story centering on Ted’s friend Denise that didn’t bring much to the overall story and, honestly, could have been cut, and the book would have flowed much better.
Ultimately, I found this book to be a heartfelt and uplifting tale that was the perfect read to kick off my Pride Month reading. It is a reminder that there is always time to start over, to chase your dreams, and to become the person you were always meant to be. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling and heartwarming read.
