Review: A Satisfying Emotional Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2013
It took me a few days to write this review because I had to find a way to put into words the soul-deep effect this book had on me.Amazing, beautiful, ugly, moving, engaging, fascinating, terrifying, nauseating, emotionally charged, passionate, educational, eye-opening. These are some of the adjectives that came to me while trying to describe this work of art. I can't believe that this is only J.W. Kilhey's second published novel. The professional quality (aside from monor editing errors which I have found common with every e-book publisher except Riptide) was as impressive as the thoroughly researched history.The novel follows two parallel story lines. It begins in 1941 where we find a gay Kurt in Austria. Kurt is an amazingly gifted pianist in love with an equally gifted violinist. At first, it isn't clear how this plotline will intersect with the second one, which shows us John in Berkley in 1951. Then the magic happens. Ms. Kilhey weaves a story that not only brings these two men together, but brings them together in a way that had me going through an entire box of tissues.In almost all romance novels, one or both of the main characters is "damaged". Hidden Away will teach you a new defininition of the word. John suffers from an extremely severe case of PTSD (called shell shock at that point) and I believe that Kurt does also.We see John and Kurt come together with the aid of Jules, a professor at Berkely and close (only) friend to Kurt. These two men who seemingly should be enemies take two steps forward and one (sometimes five!) step back again and again in their budding friendship. They eventually realize that though their experiences were on opposite sides of the suffering spectrum, they both struggle immensely to make sense of what they were a part of and to live again. They learn to trust one another. Kurt opens up to John in ways he hasn't to anyone else before. John realizes that Kurt is able to help him through his flashbacks and nightmares and (stereotypically, but no less moving because of it) finds dreamless, peaceful sleep in Kurt's arms.This doesn't even begin to cover the depth of this book. John and Kurt eventually develop a loving, committed relationship. It is far from perfect, but no relationship is perfect. They love and respect each other. They each understand the dramatic effect WWII had on the other and work within the parameters of their scars.I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. It is not a light read. At times, it is difficult to read. Ms. Kilhey handles the events of the time as delicately as possible. Some things that humans do to one another just cannot be made palatable. Hidden Away is, however, a personal look at one of the most shameful times in human history from both sides of events.I have ordered one of the reference books Ms. Kilhey noted in her afterward. I am ashamed that American historians, while writing heavily about the deaths of over 6 million Jews at the hands of the Nazis, seem to virtually gloss over the death of an estimated 5 million others, including homosexual men and a small number of lesbians.Please buy this book (and a box of tissues) and read it.