A Permanent Arrangement Review

By Angus Devotee

“I don’t want to stay upstairs. I don’t want to stay next to you, Bill. I want to lie in your arms. I want you to make love to me. I want to be touched by someone who wants me, not someone else from years passed. I want you so bad. Please let me stay with you.”

Set in New York City the story spans over fifty years, from the post-war years of the 1950s to modern times, chronicling the lives of two men who first fell in love as friends and over time became lovers. Colin Kelly was a young, hardworking man of eighteen years when he married his wife, Edna, a woman ten years his senior. The very next day Colin was shipped overseas to fight in World War II. And it was while he was serving overseas that Colin learned that his marriage was based on lies and deceit. But one good thing did eventually come from the unhappy marriage, and that was Colin’s precious daughter, Babs.

Set in New York City the story spans over fifty years, from the post-war years of the 1950s to modern times, chronicling the lives of two men who first fell in love as friends and over time became lovers. Colin Kelly was a young, hardworking man of eighteen years when he married his wife, Edna, a woman ten years his senior. The very next day Colin was shipped overseas to fight in World War II. And it was while he was serving overseas that Colin learned that his marriage was based on lies and deceit. But one good thing did eventually come from the unhappy marriage, and that was Colin’s precious daughter, Babs.

When Bill Teague first met Colin, Bill was an unknown artist and displaying at an art show. Bill had been immediately drawn to Colin and his daughter on that day, the two men forming a strong bond of friendship which would eventually bloom into an enduring love. Circumstances soon separated the two men, but fate brought them back together again, and this time they would form a loving, lasting relationship which would lead to a permanent arrangement.

With richly detailed prose the author moves the narrative through time, the years joyous as well as tragic. I was instantly captivated with the characters and their lives, this story just as much Colin and Babs, as much as it was Colin and Bill’s. Despite the short length, Katt delivered a compelling and affecting story, as the flowing narrative structure created a beautiful, sweeping read. And to be perfectly honest, I was surprised by my emotional responses to this story, as I was literally moved to tears.

When I had finished reading, I couldn’t help but remember the same-sex couples that have recently married here in California where I live, some of these couples having been together for fifty years or more, who finally have won the right to marry. It’s inspiring to see a love that has endured over the decades, despite the obstacles and intolerance.

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