Archive for August, 2009

From the opening paragraph of Cheril N. Clarke's new novel “Losing Control,” it's clear that something is amiss when Brianna Anderson is racked with guilt and shame lying beside the handsome and intelligent man in her bed. Brianna, a closeted lesbian and candidate in a close race for city councilwoman, is externally and internally in the fight of her life. It has been said that the hallmark of a gifted novelist is the ability to take the scandals of everyday life and make them humorous, thought-provoking and an opportunity for introspection. By that standard and several others, author Cheril N. Clarke is just hitting her stride. Clarke’s fluid voice guides the reader through the near destruction of Brianna’s campaign and her determination to bring help to the streets of Rockville, NJ. Brianna’s opponent is Colleen Smith, an older politician who has held a seat on the city council for many years. Seriously challenged for the first time, Smith is not about to lose without a fight, and to her, the dirtier the better. Brianna creates plenty of dirt when she dumps her pseudo boyfriend Frank, irks a young volunteer in her campaign office, and falls in lust with Pamela Thompson, the City Treasurer. Clarke does a wonderful job of creating characters who reach down deep to examine their feelings. My only real qualm with this tawdry tale is the fact that the two lesbians in the novel don’t consummate their relationship until the last pages of the novel. I mean let’s just be real about it. If I am going to spend two nights reading a book about lesbian drama, to get the full effect, I would like to immerse myself in a juicy sex scene – preferably by page 3. In Cheril’s defense, when the lesbians finally saw some action, it was worth the wait. But will they live happily ever after? Well, you’ll have to dive in to this tale to see for yourself. All in all, very entertaining and engaging. Kudos on another fabulous novel Cheril!

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