Review: I absolutely loved this novella.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 5, 2014
Laurie Boris is a friend of mine (lucky me!). I don't profit from her and she doesn't profit from me. And I would never give a fluff review, as anything I say reflects on me. That said, let's get to it.This is an EXCELLENT novella. A lot of the plot has been covered. Let's talk about the writing and the way the narrative is constructed. Character is always the most important part of the story for me. And for most people. Who wants to read about people they don't care about? Not me.The character development in this novella is absurdly good. Charlie, especially, is a character that you just have to fall in love with. Gay, straight - it don't matter. I will say - I live in the Bay Area and homosexuality doesn't faze me one bit. Still, I was amazed. Why? I am straight. I was just born that way. I have a wife and two kids. I don't want to have sex with men. The love scenes in this book, however, are so well wrought and tender that ... well, I'm lightweight in love with Charlie.This is what separates this excellent novella from so much schlock 'romance' tripe. I don't believe that good writing deserves to be tied to a genre. Sure, you could call this a 'romance'. I'd call it a damn good book that is romantic in spots. It's a story about life, love, and two people who try to navigate a very difficult situation.There are no bodices (or boardshorts?) in this book. There is no aggressive, off-putting, disturbing "sex" scenes that read like amateur pornography or date rape. The men in this story don't practically assault each other when they are intimate. They are tender, scared, worried, confused, and amazed. THEY ARE IN LOVE. Love is one of the hardest things to write, and Boris does it so well in this novella that there were times I was near tears, there were times I was laughing, and there were many times (as I said) where I thought, "Man, Charlie is so thoughtful and deep and he drinks too much and he's such a good kisser ... he's JUST MY TYPE ..."I have always been impressed when writers are able to make you go against your natural inclinations. Make me love the bad guy. Make me hope the underdog loses. Make me fall in love with a fictional homosexual man. THAT's writing talent. Anyone can preach to the choir. Boris refuses to do it, and that is what makes this book so phenomenal. It's a well written book. Decidedly so. It's also a very complex book about complex issues.If you're a homophobe, you'll probably not like this book and that's a shame (on both counts). As I said, I don't think everyone should think like I do, want to have sex with the same people I want to, or hate sweet potatoes like I do. Point being, if you are a mature, rational, adult who likes good writing, totally 3D characters, and realism that can place you inside a situation you would never experience in real life, read this.OK, it's a romance if you want. Fine. But not to me. To me, it is a story about people. The people happen to be gay and in a tough situation, but their sexuality, though central to the plot, is handled with such delicate, lovely writing that I refuse to limit it's scope by calling it a romance. I love short stories partly because there is not the genre obsession we have with longer works. This is a life story and a love story. That's an important distinction.This novella transcends genre. It is, quite simply, one of the best things I've read in a while. Heck, I've read it twice. I'll probably read it again. Honestly, if you can read this and not enjoy it, reveling in the prose and character development, then you don't appreciate good writing or have some issues regarding sexuality. And you should probably work on both those things.I write a lot. I read a lot. Occasionally, I finish a book and think, "Wow, just wow." This was one of those books.I want more Charlie. I want more Boris. I want more people to read this novella - it's just that good.I gave it four stars so simpletons wouldn't say that I just gave it five stars because I know Boris. It's sad that we have to think like that. I don't want this review to get written off as a 'five star special'. So, I'm dropping a star undeservedly. Sad state of affairs, but it is what it is. This is a 5 star novella. No doubt.