The Adversary

In a house in Brunswick, summer is coming, and a young man is being strongly encouraged to go outside against his will. He says he’s not a shut-in, but he certainly acts like one, spending all day taking hot showers and eating Vegemite toast. But when his housemate and best friend, Dan, gets a boyfriend, he is pushed out into the world, in search of friendship and love.

Will he make friends with the mysterious shawl-wearing Chris L? Will he sleep with Vivian, the American who likes silk sheets, even in January? Or the internet guy, who drives back and forth from the gym all day and whose name he doesn’t even know? Why do they all want to go to the pool all the time? Does he really have to go with them? He’d be happiest if Dan just came home . . .

The Adversary is a sticky summer coming-of-age story about men exploring their sexuality and their sociability. It asks what kinds of stories are possible – or desirable – for which kinds of people, and what happens when you follow those stories to their natural conclusions.