50 Ways of Saying Fabulous

Book 2 20th Anniversary Edition

The poignant but also endearingly comic triumphs and tribulations of sweet, fat, theatrical Billy-Boy continue in Book 2 of 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous.

Billy-Boy has always loathed farm chores, until his father employs Jamie, a sexy farm worker, for the summer. Suddenly Billy has not just a work mate, but a buddy, who is cheerful and enthusiastic company. Being with Jamie completely eclipses the burden of the chores. They even become a pleasure. After all Jamie looks like David Cassidy and likes to work shirtless!

But Billy’s idyll with Jamie proves all too brief as other people intrude and interfere. Belinda Pepper, the most notorious girl in the entire district, utterly enthrals him with her wicked ways. Then Lou, Billy’s estranged cousin, discovers Jamie and goes all-out to win him away from Billy for herself.

But Billy is not the only one who feels lonely, jealous and frustrated…

With something illicit growing in an abandoned toilet, clandestine goings-on down at the old gaol, a bloody murder, and a theatrical finale with a dozen costume changes, Billy-Boy’s life is even more dramatic than his favourite TV show Lost in Space.

Praise for 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous:

' If I knew fifty ways of saying fabulous, I’d use them all to praise this charming first novel.' EDMUND WHITE

'It has the fast-running clarity of a good yarn, yet this is a fresh telling of the story of a gay awakening. Infinitely real ... grotesque and funny and moving by turns.' PETER WELLS

‘A wonderful cast of characters, lovingly drawn and lightened with the right dash of maliciousness ... Aitken manages to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary ... (and) shows so much skill and gives so much pleasure.’ CAMPAIGN

‘50 Ways of Saying Fabulous is an honest, funny and sometimes painful read. Confidently and convincingly written, it is a welcome addition to the gay coming of age genre; the collection of works in which we see ourselves reflected and refracted, and find fifty ways of saying “me”.’ MELBOURNE STAR OBSERVER

‘... one of the very best novels released this year. Witty, warm and original.’ CLEO

‘... a secret and magic story which is grotesque and infinitely funny ... a zany book, highly entertaining, and with enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the end ... 50 Ways is fabulous, whichever way you say it.’ BARFLY