A book that I wouldn't have read if it weren't for BookCrossing. The front page, combined with the text on the back did not really appeal to me, but I was pleasantly surpised when I started reading.

Not really a nice subject, but it is delt with in a way that makes the book nice and good to read. ( )

Three West Indian men take centre stage in this engaging short novel; Reynolds, the long standing boss; Jason, his young Rasta assistant of six years, and new man Ez. As Ez joins the staff at the public convenience complaints about cottaging, (men in twos, threes or more are using the cubicles for their dubious pleasures), threaten to close the public toilet. The three men use their own ingenuity to bring the problem under control, with considerable success. In fact so successful are they that takings drop markedly, and so three men are no longer needed to maintain the toilets, one of them may have to go. Again, they come up with an ingenious solution.

The real joy of the book however is the characters. Although Reynolds, whose life revolves around managing the conveniences, appears constantly to jibe Jason, he is in fact very fond of the lad and regards him like a son. While Jason might seem sullen and self absorbed, and as Reynolds often accuses, "bad", events prove him to be principled, proactive and imaginative. Ez, is a gentle, loving and tolerant man. Their mild Jamaican patois is well captured, and their interactions and activities prove quite comic.

This is a very gentle story with a message, a touch of irony, likeable characters, plenty of humour and a positive outcome. ( )

Three Jamaicans work in a public toilet in London. They are pretty much resigned to the almost constant cottaging that goes on, until one day the council tells them that it needs to be stopped or the premises will be closed.

That might not sound like a great premise for a book - and indeed, the story is both short and a quick read. But the style and the subject matter both pack a lot more punch than you might think on a first look.

The style is very spare - it feels as if you are being told everything that happens, but of course there is actually a lot going on between the lines. The story, too, manages to bring in some big questions - particularly how different people choose to respond to other lifestyles (not just sexuality) - without ever labouring the point - it's beautifully light-touch.

Sample sentence: It was possible to tell from the sound alone which cubicle had opened or closed. The doors of the seventeen cubicles were like a musical scale. Each hollow space they enclosed had a different frequency. The flushing of the cistern in cubicle three had a different sound from cubicle eleven.

Recommended for: anyone who appreciates good writing and is prepared for an unusual setting! ( )

A quick, enjoyable read.

This took me under two hours to read, but they were two highly enjoyable hours.
Beautifully written with humour and wit, this book relates the dilemma of a gents public toilet in London; if the toilet attendants clear the facility of the unsavoury element ("reptiles"), the place becomes uneconomical.
I loved the Jamaican characters, all three of the beautifully drawn, and the way they cleaned the place so thouroughly that it didn't feel like an unsavoury setting at all!
This sparse book was spot-on, highly recommended. ( )

A warm short novel about three toilet attendants who fear that they will lose their jobs at Charing Cross station if the level of gay casual sex in the cubicles is not reduced. After some success they find that their campaign has halved use of the facility, which now means that it may not be cost effective. Faced with ethical and economic dilemmas, the Jamaicans come up with a heartwarming plan. All this is set against a leisurely description of the processes of urinal maintenance and of the relationships between the men and their families. The book's brevity feels appropriate to its slight subject but is essentially satisfying. ( )