Review: m/m romance with a theological twist
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2010
Rated 4.5 out of 5Have you ever closed a book knowing that you need to re-read it right away? That's what happened with me when I read S. L. Armstrong and K. Piet's novella "The Keeper." This is without a doubt one of the more unique and thought-provoking stories that I have read lately, and while I enjoyed it for its romance - very much, in fact - I also became completely caught up in its religious and philosophical angle. There is a m/m romance involved, but this story is much more than that. It made me think about the nature of love, sacrifice, and theology as well as the role that organized religion plays in our lives.I don't want to spoil the plot for you, so this is of necessity a pretty short review. I can say, however, that you may need to be of a somewhat liberal bent of mind to appreciate The Keeper due to its theological and mystical content and its unique interpretation of communion. Also, while this is by nature a fantasy, the authors make it feel almost plausible as they bring the characters to life. In Hadi, they give us a man whose integrity belies his youth, and Dhakir exhibits human characteristics that we would never expect him to.The cadence and flow of the authors' writing style made The Keeper a pleasure for me to read. Their expressive language drew me right into the story and the personas of the characters and had quite an impact on me. As Hadi and Dhakir fight their own internal emotional battles, struggling with their feelings for each other as well as the religious and philosophical implications of those feelings, I felt almost as if I were there, sharing in their confusion and fear and angst.The only trait that I found an issue with in "The Keeper" is with the authors' predilection for the ellipsis. This little piece of punctuation gets quite a workout in the story, and I found it to be just a bit distracting."The Keeper" will definitely not be for everybody, but I found it to be well-written, very interesting, and deeply touching as well. (And yes, that means that the liberal application of tissues was required during the reading of this novella. I'm the perfect sniveling audience for anything emotional.) This story is one that will linger long after it is over, because although the ending can be classified as a happy one, an evocative tint of sadness still remains. Well done, Ms. Armstrong and Ms. Piet. I will look forward to reading your future releases.