REVIEWED BY CINDY

TITLE:Driving into the Sun                               

AUTHOR: Dev Bentham

PUBLISHER: Loose ID

LENGTH: 165 pages

Blurb:

Bad choices. We all make them, some more than others. Dusty’s choices have left him unemployed, broke and practically homeless. Despite the major issues he has with his family, his only rational choice is to sell everything and move into his parents’ basement. At thirty. Looking for a ride west, he answers a phone ad. The voice at the other end of the line flows like dark, rich honey. Finally something to look forward to—listening to Joe’s voice all the way from Illinois to Idaho.

Rather than the hip crooner of Dusty’s fantasies, Joe turns out to look more like a panhandler. Is that because Joe dresses down, or are Dusty’s preconceptions about Native Americans clouding his vision? Joe is silent more often than not. He has a complicated past and still has amends to make. But he is ready to move on. Dusty feels trapped. Two damaged men, one small car driving two thousand miles into the sun—sometimes things need to break down before they can get fixed.

Review:

I almost didn’t take this book because it sounded very sad, but I think I fell for Dusty as soon as I read the blurb of this story. I could imagine him feeling so lost and alone, regretting the choices he’s made in life and in love and then all of the sudden finding a light in the dark in the voice of a stranger.

Joe Black is looking for someone to share the expenses for the trip he’s making to his own new beginning. He’s not the man Dusty imagines him to be at first, but he turns out to be exactly the person Dusty needs in his life.

The journey they take together covers far more than just physical distance. Along the way, Dusty finds out that maybe his life doesn’t have to be the endless misery he’s punishing himself with and Joe reconnects to something he lost in his own past. As in any journey, there are bumps in the road and detours to take. Some of them come in the form of a cowboy who turns out to be one of the bad guys and their own preconceived ideas of how they think the other man should be. The author also tackles a few race-related issues with aplomb and I applaud their sensitive handling of the subject.

Watching them find their way to each other made me smile. The little touches and looks helps build anticipation and tension and I was cheering them on the whole time, and I couldn’t wait for their “ah ha!” moment.

I loved this author’s take on an instant connection between two people. I usually don’t care for insta-love but it doesn’t really feel rushed in this story. They are just two men who are at that point in their life where they are ready for the next step into their future.

The side characters are worth mentioning as well. From Joe’s protective cousin Sue to his stoic grandfather, to Dusty’s cold and cruel father and brother, they all add something to the story that pushes it along and helps the reader make a connection. Some turn out to be someone completely different from what you expected, like Dusty’s mom and that’s a lovely surprise too.

The writing is smart, smooth and well edited. No mistakes jumped out at me and I have to be honest and say that’s something unusual. I will be looking for more stories from Dev Bentham as I like their style.

Rating: 

Buy Links:

Loose ID

amazon

amazon.uk