Review - Metanoia by Young

“Young” embarks on his last term of service in an Arabian household in this fifth and final volume of A Harem Boy's Saga. His host this time is a mercurial international sports enthusiast. Managing the whims of a temperamental master isn't Young's only challenge. He must also begin to think about the future, once he graduates, and whether or not that includes the love of his life, Andy.

In this last book of the series, we start to see a much more mature author. He still occasionally displays that overly inquisitive nature that seems to have endeared him to his masters, but he has also learned to reign it in a bit. Young has also reached the stage where he is able to mentor younger students who might be candidates for service.

The “truth” of this autobiography has always been a big question for me. How much of it actually happened, and what was just made up? The whole adventure is based on the existence of a secret network of prep schools that sends teenage boys and girls to serve as courtesans in wealthy Arab households. The idea of the group, which the author refers to as E.R.O.S., seems a bit preposterous. However, in recent years we've learned more and more about the lengths that some Western governments have gone to keep the oil-rich mid-eastern countries happy. Compared to looking the other way or even actively participating in the assassination of political dissidents, sending some willing young people to provide an outlet for the sexually frustrated seems mild. While the existence of E.R.O.S. may seem implausible, it's far from impossible.

The challenge here is, if the foundation of Young's service is questionable, how believable is the rest of the story? I've visited and done a little business in several of the Gulf states. The descriptions of the social, cultural, and religious factors affecting the lives of even the rich and powerful rings true. Against this background, the idea that some young people ended up serving in a few households under the guise of an "exchange program" doesn't seem so far-fetched.

Young's Arab masters were definitely major players in the jet set of the 1960s. They traveled the world, buying up property and investing in whatever ventures took their interest. This was the time before venture capital and investment bankers when wealthy oil sheiks filled that role. It's not really surprising that they took their young charges with them on some of these trips. It allowed them to enjoy the “services” of the teenagers away from the prying eyes of the family back home. Young describes the places he visits in great detail, making it entirely believable that he really had been there.

I think the bottom line is that while I'm sure some events have been exaggerated for dramatic effect, the core of the story is probably true. In any case, it's a fascinating look back at the 1960s, when so many things changed for women and gay men. The decade started the ball rolling on changes that would lead to same-sex marriage, among other things.

“Metanoia” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).