Book Review: The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Albert Entwistle is months away from his sixty-fifth birthday and being retired from his employment as a postal worker with Royal Mail in Toddington. Albert is a shy introverted man who lives alone with his cat Gracie since the death of his ailing mother almost eighteen years ago. Albert has spent almost five decades absorbed in his work at Royal Mail covering his delivery route of 667 addresses. He does not have friends and barely socializes, limiting his interactions to polite exchanges with his work colleagues.

“There are billions of people in this world and not a single one of them cares about me.”

Being forced into retirement, Albert is made to reflect on his loneliness which is compounded by the memories of George, the love of his life who he was forced to part ways with as a young boy, on account of his being shamed by the family because of his sexuality. Fearing homophobia and prejudice he has spent his life in the closet and has shut himself away from living a full life.

“Albert had been given a blunt message about what his friends thought of people like him, what the world at large thought of people like him—of the real him, the him he’d been careful to keep well hidden.”

As the narrative progresses, we see how Albert gradually opens up to the people around him and is embraced by his community, and gradually finds the courage to venture outside his closeted self-imposed solitude. Supported by his friends and well-wishers he summons the courage to find George after fifty years of being apart.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain is a beautifully written story that will pull at your heartstrings and make you smile through your tears. The protagonist is a sweet lovable character whose story pulls you in. The author touches upon themes of friendship, love, self-acceptance and community. The author sheds a light on discrimination against gay men in the 1970s and the challenges faced by same-sex couples in the same era through conversations with those whose experiences were similar to Albert’s at the end of the book. Yes, the plot was predictable but it is a heartwarming read with an interesting cast of characters that keeps you engaged till the very end. The subplots were well integrated into Albert’s story and it never felt as if the story was digressing. The story was a tad too long but not so much that the reader would lose interest. I switched between reading the book and listening to Simon Vance’s brilliant audio narration which made for a wonderful immersion reading experience.

"Never look back—that’s my motto. I’ve used it about all kinds of things that have happened in the past. When I’ve been upset by things, the only way I’ve been able to survive is by putting them behind me.”

“Yeah, but one thing I’ve learned is that if you try to do that, you never do put the past behind you—it just tags along in the present. And it burrows into you like some kind of poison. It’s only by facing up to it and dealing with all the feelings it brings up that we can learn from it and move on.”