Lucien and I by Danny Wynn is a story of friendship. 
Nearing the end of his 30s, David still feels like his life has been unfulfilling. When he meets Lucien, who is in his mid-20s, he begins to live life to the fullest. Traveling together to exotic places, David enjoys being able to partake in Lucien’s exciting world. To David, Lucien represents the man that he wishes he was during his young adulthood. Lucien is both charismatic and a man of mystery. He has developed a persona that is hard to easily define. Lucien knows this about himself and revels in it. Lucien bases much of his pursuits in search of sensations. In most cases, the main sensation he seeks is pleasure.
David and Lucien first meet through their girlfriends. Initially, David does not like Sharon, the best friend of his girlfriend Janey. Sharon goes overboard in trying to be bring attention to herself by acting like a sex goddess. David finds her efforts to draw attention to herself very annoying, and he is disgusted with himself for taking the bait and being attracted to her. Lucien enjoys his relationship with Sharon, yet doesn’t seem interested in having her around in the future. Neither of the men are very faithful. Lucien also has some interesting visits with an ex-girlfriend, who lives in Istanbul.
While on a three-day holiday without their significant others, David is finally able to act on his attraction to Sharon, and they keep it a secret from their partners. In time, when both men are single, Lucien lets David know that he’d found out about the indiscretion with Sharon. He ends the friendship, and David has regrets. Life does go on, but it no longer is as exciting as it was with Lucien in his life.
Lucien and I is a very interesting novel. The author brings the characters to life so well, I had to remind myself it is a work of fiction and not a memoir!
The settings are described in colorfully vivid detail. Whether they are in the Hamptons, Istanbul, or Majorca, I felt like I was actually there with the characters. The relationships with the women are complex although they are they aren’t serious. Friendships with others are interesting, yet they all seem to be pretty shallow. David does not act his age. While he might be trying to relive his past with his younger friends and girlfriend, he actually seems to be pretty emotionally stilted. Lucien helps him enjoy life, but their lives together do not really allow them to move ahead. Ending his friendship with David was probably the best thing that Lucien could have done for him.
Lucien and I by Danny Wynn is a well-written, thought provoking novel. I feel that it stands in a class all by itself. The quality of writing is exceptional, and so is the content. I highly recommend reading this novel.