The continuing adventures of Tony, Melody, and Lissa. You should read “Model Student” to understand this. Now sophomore art students and trying to understand and manage their new life, Tony, Melody, Lissa and their friends attempt to come to grips with the larger reality of life outside of college as well as in. Some sex in most chapters, much sex in some. The trio finally discovers it is in love—with each other and someone else! This story includes an abused submissive woman.
Size: 693 KB (136,913 words)
Genre: Romantic
Sex Contents: Some Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, Fa/Fa, Mult, Consensual, Romantic, BiSexual, Heterosexual, Fiction, Polygamy/Polyamory, Slow
Review by Teloz [other reviews by Teloz]
Reviewed:
Triptych isn't a good story, it's brilliant! So good, I lost a lot of sleep to read it in one sitting.
Let's get the mundane bits out of the way first. Technically this work is excellent, not perfect, but then, nothing is ever perfect. The characters are beautifully drawn, though you do need to have read Model Student to get to know them. The plot is pretty unique, with a few twists and turns to keep the reader interested; no, not interested, enthralled!
This is by no means a stroke story, though there is plenty of sex, but the sex is erotic rather than 'in your face pornography' (not a ten inch dick in sight!). The interactions of the characters make them seem very human, and fallible. Indeed, despite success and a wonderful home life, the main protagonist is very unsure of himself.
I'm often wary of stories that involve sports, especially from American authors. Too often the reader is assailed by technical terms and statistics that have little meaning to non Americans. In Triptych, although Racquetball is an important part of the story, it doesn't overwhelm it. The same is true of the art, it too is a central part of the story, but although the reader gains some insight to the art world s/he is never overwhelmed by the technology.
As for the story itself, I thought about the Robert A Heinlein classic Time Enough For Love, where a man lives for hundreds of years, and experiences love in all its forms. In Triptych however, Tony experiences love in all its forms in a small part of his lifetime.
I have to admit that polyamory really pushes my buttons. I firmly believe that we all have an almost unlimited capacity for love, it's only constrained by the mores of a repressive society; monogamy is not natural! Please note, I'm talking about love here, not lust; lust is unlimited too, but is often divisive and destructive. Love is powerful and binding, and this is what this story tells us.
Not only does Triptych get that message across, it does it in a powerful and emotional way, such a way that the reader can't help but be emotionally affected by it. I found the final chapter to be very emotional, and very powerful.
If you never read anything else on SoL, read this! Bookmark it, download it, and read it again.
Read and enjoy!
