I actually have this mindset that reading E Lynn Harris's work will be like reading his other work again. Same theme. Closets, closets, closets and nasty divas. However, I still enjoy reading his novels because he knew how to entertain the readers. I enjoy his light writing.

Well, there is no nasty diva in this novel, and I was surprised I liked this novel more than his other better acclaimed work. For one, I did not feel like Bentley was a self-pity guy. He made decision that affected the relationship with his father. He took a stand. It was interesting to read the hardship he faced.

Some of the characters sounded so yummy. I liked Daniel, and would have loved to see another action between Daniel and Bentley. I thought Ramon's character was wasted because nothing more was shared on him.

I did not like how Seth was formed. A famous director/actor in the same league as Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Will Smith? These three are not directors and I cannot accept the idea of an actor who is also a director, bigger than these three. I was curious what they would do to Jah, but obviously that was avoided. Funny. It sounded horrific but no details. And I wish that none was going around in a circle, but it did - how Seth was linked to almost anything bad that Bentley was facing.

I did like the touch on the relationship between Bentley and his father.

Will miss his work. How many yummy guys can fit into one book? Apparently, and luckily, in E Lynn Harris's book, limitless. ( )

This is a flawed novel about "the beautiful people". It has a fascinating central character but to my mind the story doesn't live up to his potential. There are some funny moments however and some great one-liners. See my review for Vulpes Libris at: http://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/in-my-father’s-house-by-e-lynn-ha... ( )

Iam a major fan of E .L.ynn I have read everybook he h as ever written. This book was quite different from some of his other books. In my father's house addressed issues of abuse, "coming out", and other social ills we dont associate with an upper echolon lifestyle. The main character grapples with his relationship with his father while living a life of loving men. Handsome, semi celebrity yet he struggles to find peace in all of the mess that spirals in his life like a whirlwind. Emotionally confused by love and abuse He finds himself slowly falling apart. In the midst of trying to save those he loves he reestablishes the relationship with his father while confronted with danger

Received 07 Jul 2010 - LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme

My being white, female, straight and English did not stem my enjoyment of this novel about black gay men in America, and presumably this was why I was picked to receive this book. I've read and enjoyed Harris' books for some time now and was very pleased to win this one. It was a fairly quick read.

The main character, Bentley, is a man who is trying to stay moral and just in a world that tries to encourage just the opposite. In conflict with his father, who dislikes his "life choices", he sets up his own business away from the riches of the family firm. When recession hits and it's a struggle to keep going, he feels forced to take on a job for his modelling agency that he wouldn't normally touch, supplying men for a private party. He has bad feelings, especially when his mentee, Jah, becomes involved, but squashes them for the sake of the money.

Now, you wouldn't maybe expect a novel about modelling agencies and gay men who indulge in all sorts of practices (and some of it is a bit explicit, which doesn't bother me but might be worth mentioning), to be a particularly moral read, and indeed the dust jacket plays up the glamour and risk, but it's actually all about mentoring, fatherhood (of various kinds), doing the right thing, keeping safe, and love.

Being set at the time of the Obama election and the credit crunch offers an interesting dimention to this novel and it's up to date in its use of facebook and texting as plot devices, without this seeming laboured. Some characters are not rounded enough for me, and the ending seemed a bit sudden - but the back of the jacket implies that this was supposed to be the first in a series featuring Bentley and his modelling agency. Tragically, the author died after completing this book, so this won't happen.

A good read with momentum given by the thriller-y plot, some satisfyingly twisty sub-plots, and depth given by the probing questions of Bentley's therapist. ( )

After coming out to his wealthy Detroit family, Bentley L. Dean III moved to Miami and opened Picture Perfect -- one of the hottest African-American modeling agencies in South Beach. Times are tough, though -- both economically and on the romantic front. With companies slowing down, not many are in need of models; Bentley could ask his Father or Mother for a little financial help, but he worries that they aren't ready to forgive him for coming out. Things could be turning around, though, when he reluctantly agrees to allow some of his male models to be eye candy at an exclusive men-only party on Star Island.

As for a relationship, he called off his wedding to be with Warren, the man he loved, only to be dumped in turn after moving to Miami. At the party on Star Island, Bentley runs into Warren and hopes to re-ignite what they once had. But when one of Bentley's younger models named Jah falls head over heels for the host of the party, a movie mogul on the "down low" named Seth Sinclair, and he learns of some rough dealings that involved Sinclair's former boi, Bentley fears for Jah's safety and begins to question what exactly Warren's role in this whole scheme is.

E. Lynn Harris' "In My Father's House" took me into a different side of the gay world, that of the closeted, or "down low", black men. On the public side, they have families, well-paying jobs, the respect of the community; on the private side, they attend exclusive parties, hoping for a little action with a hot man or boi. At all times, they're on guard, doing whatever it takes to keep their secret lives a secret, damn the consequences. Throw in Bentley L. Dean III into the mix, handsome and confident with his own sexuality, and the tensions simmer and boil over until someone makes a wrong move.

Bentley's inner struggles with regards to his family -- and more specifically, his father -- weave nicely into the tale. He came out to them in order to be true to himself and to his family, but now, isn't sure of his place. Do they still love me? Will they help me if I reach out to them? So many gay men and women deal with those questions, I found it comforting to follow a character dealing with those issues on a realistic level and not like a melodrama.

"In My Father's House" is definitely a beach read, something to sit with for a few hours, get caught up in the story and just have as much fun as you can. The intertwining stories -- finding work for the modeling agency; testing the waters of love after a bad breakup; the secret parties of high-powered closeted gay black men; Bentley's struggle with his relationship with his father -- made for a book that I couldn't put down once I started. ( )