Nova Scotia House
"He said he would understand if it was too much for me, that I could leave him, that I was young, I should be living, I said to him, I am living."
Johnny Grant faces stark life decisions. Seeking answers, he looks back to his relationship with Jerry Field. When they met, nearly thirty years ago, Johnny was 19, Jerry was 45. They fell in love and made a life on their own terms in Jerry鈥檚 flat: 1, Nova Scotia House. Johnny is still there today 鈥� but Jerry is gone, and so is the world they knew.
As Johnny鈥檚 mind travels between then and now, he begins to remember stories of Jerry鈥檚 youth: of experiments in living; of radical philosophies; of the many possibilities of love, sex and friendship before the AIDS crisis devastated the queer community. Slowly, he realizes what he must do next鈥攁nd attempts to restore ways of being that could be lost forever.
Nova Scotia House鈥痶akes us to the heart of a relationship, a community and an era. It is both a love story and a lament; bearing witness to the enduring pain of the AIDS pandemic and honouring the joys and creativity of queer life. Intimate, visionary, and profoundly original, it marks the debut of a vibrant new voice in contemporary fiction, and a writer with a liberating new story to tell.
About the author
Charlie Porter鈥痠s a writer, fashion critic and curator. He has written for the鈥疐inancial Times, the鈥疓uardian,鈥疶he鈥疦ew York Times,鈥疓Q,鈥疞uncheon,鈥痠-D鈥痑nd鈥疐antastic Man,鈥痑nd has been described as one of the most influential fashion journalists of his time. Porter co-runs the London queer rave Chapter 10, and is a trustee of the Friends of Arnold Circus, where he is also a volunteer gardener. 鈥疕e lives in London.
Judge Amy Sackville on Novia Scotia House
"Charlie Porter's鈥疦ova Scotia House鈥痠s a moving, lyrical book, written from a deeply embodied stream-of-consciousness. It鈥檚 an elegy and a love poem; it鈥檚 a celebration of community and of life lived against conformity and compromise. The 鈥榪ueer magic鈥� of its composition runs through every aspect, from voice to characterisation to story to form."