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Crocodilia
Crocodilia | Philip Ridley
3 posts | 2 read | 1 to read
When eighteen-year-old Dominic meets his new neighbour, the sexy, green-haired, tattooed punk Billy Crow, it's lust at first sight. And judging from their smouldering first encounter, Billy seems to feel the same way. But when Billy mentions a previous lover, Dominic demands to know all about him. And so a story starts to be told. A strange, fantastic story that begins to obsess Dominic more and more, until he finds himself wondering where that story ends . . . and his story begins. Set in London's East End in 1982, Philip Ridley's novel is a masterwork of LGBTQ fiction with a glittering, labyrinthine narrative and a firework display of images - a house full of crocodiles, Elvis Presley in a gold Cadillac, a cinema bathed in green neon - not to mention sex scenes of such dizzying eroticism that they take the breath away. In the years since its first publication in 1988, Crocodilia has become a cult classic, and for this new edition the author has expanded and developed the novel further, presenting it now - for the first time - as it was always intended. Already known as a visionary film director and one of the most original playwrights of his generation, with this new release Ridley confirms his place as one of our most innovative, distinctive, and dazzling novelists. 'Startling . . . a beautifully conceived flight of the imagination.' - Time Out 'Philip Ridley's stories compel attention.' - The Times (London) 'Ridley is a visionary.' - Rolling Stone
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Reggie
Crocodilia | Philip Ridley
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Pickpick

Thank you @Michael_Gee for picking this! I loved it. A story about stories. About the love young gays envision for themselves. About first loves, and the marks that get left, and how we carry those with us and forward. This was great. Very inventive. It‘ll be in the mail later today.

Michael_Gee Oh great! I thought you would like it but I‘ve been wondering what you thought. Can‘t wait to read everyone‘s marginalia! 14mo
psalva @Reggie That‘s a great way of putting it, “the marks that get left.” That does kind of sum up the layers of narrative when I think of it. 14mo
Reggie @psalva in his end notes @Michael_Gee referenced Vertigo and I totally got that because that girl get remade into the woman he loved and then she tricked herself into loving him and I kinda want to add House of Yes with Parker Posey and La Mala Educacion by Pedro Almodovar. Thank you guys for your picks. I also loved the raw sexuality in both of them. Both MCs thinking with their hearts and minds but their penises were there, too. Lol 14mo
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review
psalva
Crocodilia | Philip Ridley
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Mehso-so

This was a dizzying read at times. If I‘m honest the number of explicit sex scenes were too much for me even as I recognize the wish fulfillment aspects of the narrative. I think my younger self would have really enjoyed the narrative experimentation. My current self had to buckle up and go with it, but in the end I‘m glad to have read it. Thank you @Michael_Gee for picking this. It was a whirlwind!

Reggie I‘m excited for this one. 1y
14 likes1 comment
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Michael_Gee
Crocodilia | Philip Ridley
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@Reggie @psalva @Marmie7

Hey group L, I just started this and it fits with our group theme. Anyone else interested in a 1988 “glittering, labyrinthine narrative and a firework display of images…not to mention sex scenes of such dizzying eroticism that they take the breath away” (?!). 🐊

I also have a short story collection by Keith Banner that I‘d love to read more of: Next to Nothing. Either of those appeal?

psalva I‘m up for the Ridley book, I think. It sounds intriguing. 2y
Reggie This sounds great. I‘m game for this book. 2y
Marmie7 Sounds good! 2y
20 likes3 comments