2.5 out of 5 stars
Ebook. 1st edition. 46 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Being caught with another man sends Charlie Young fleeing his family to the forests of southwestern Australia to scrape together steamer-passage to the big smoke of London. But life as a timber faller isn’t easy and it’s made worse when the men he works with are brash, bigoted, and often brutal. All except Jack Tapper, who’s the kind of gentle giant that sets Charlie’s heart racing.
While the other men head into town for Christmas, it’s just Charlie and Jack and acres of forest. But trees tell no tales and a few days alone is the perfect opportunity to indulge a bourgeoning passion. When the men return and find things not as they once were, Charlie and Jack have to make the hard decisions about whether to stay where they are or run for their lives.
A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar
Likes:
- A historical setting I’ve never read about before.
- Felt realistic.
- Well written.
Dislikes:
- Some jargon I had to look up.
- Lacks a romance vibe.
- Depressing.
- Romance went from zero to a hundred in a flash.
- Charlie never once fought back.
- Open ending.
- So much angst and grit.
If this story wasn’t part of the anthology, I wouldn’t have read it. I could tell from the blurb that it was going to be depressing. I was right. Not just about what Charlie’s life was like as a gay man in 1912, but everything. The tinned food and oozing blisters the flies that “buzzed around his mouth and nose” as he worked.
I expected the depressing part, but not the angst and grit. My own fault. Honestly, what else should I expect? Two gay men living in a time and place where gay men aren’t just shunned but have to fear for their lives. And living around other drunk lumberjacks with easy access to axes? That’s a recipe for trouble.
I’m not familiar with either lumberjacks or railroads, so I had to look up what a railway sleeper was. It was a little strange that the thing Charlie and Jack were making wasn’t described. How hard would it have been to say it was a rectangular block of wood used beneath the metal railway lines?
The romance itself wasn’t bad. Charlie and Jack had a definite connection. But the story really never gave off a romance vibe. It was more about two men who were struggling to find a way to live happily as themselves. The romance was how they accomplished that goal.
Their romance went from zero to a hundred in an instant. It was a little anticlimactic, to be honest. They went from work friends to kissing and blowjobs within a few pages. It worked within the story, but the sudden change lacked an emotional impact.
The ending was also unsatisfying. It’s so open ended. Did Jack and Charlie make it out okay? Did they find a way to live happy lives?
The best thing I can say about this story is that it’s different. It’s about a time, place, and profession I know nothing about. The writing is solid and the elements of the story feel realistic. Despite that, I didn’t like it. I’m going to say that this type of story just isn’t for me.
Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.
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