Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Listening To Dust
AUTHOR: Brandon Shire
PUBLISHER: TPG Books
LENGTH: 143 pages
BLURB:
Murder touched Stephen Dobbins when he was a young boy and left him living in a void of aching loneliness. A chance meeting with a young American chased away the fear that he would always be alone and brought him the prospect of a new existence.
Dustin Earl joined the military and escaped his small town Southern upbringing with the hope that he could give his mentally challenged brother a better life. But Dustin had never known real love, an honest hug, or a simple kiss. He considered his sexuality a weakness; a threat that had been used against those he cared about.
For eight months their relationship blossomed until Dustin suddenly returned home. He cherished Stephen, but felt his responsibilities to his brother outweighed his own chance at happiness.
Shattered, unable to function and unwilling to accept Dustin’s departure, Stephen flew three thousand miles to get Dustin back and rekindle what they had. But what he would learn when he got there… he could never have imagined.
REVIEW:
This book was heartbreaking. There is no other ways to say it. It was heartbreaking but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this story is written so beautifully you get lost in it. Make no mistake, there is no HEA here, there’s no happiness, there’s no hope. There are these two people who are tragically lost and when they find each other you want nothing but for them to find happiness, but sadly that doesn’t happen.
Stephen’s parents died when he was a kid. He was raised by his grandmother. His parent’s deaths were shrouded in mystery so he’s never really had any peace where their loss was concerned. He lives in London as a writer. He’s not looking for love and really just prefers nameless hookups.
Dustin is an American soldier who is stationed in London. He’s from Texas and has suffered physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from his older brother and father throughout most of his childhood. He’s beyond damaged emotionally and carries the responsibility of being there for his adult mentally handicapped brother. Dustin has known most of his life that he was gay but being from Texas he’s always been ashamed of it. He’s never sought out male companionship and tries to push his urges aside.
When Stephen and Dustin meet there’s a definite connection. Stephen is Dustin’s first sexual partner. Dustin’s shaken to his core because of how good they are together. He fights his attraction to Stephen but when he gives in they are so good together.
They spend a magical few months together in London but they both know Dustin has to return to the states eventually. And when he does, it’s devastating for both Stephen and Dustin, but also for us as the reader.
Things go from bad to worse when Dustin is back home and this book ends like it began, utterly hopeless.
Brandon Shire is a magician with words. This story is so tragically beautiful I couldn’t help but love it.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
This is one of my top 5 favorite books. It is so beautifully and powerfully written, I was wrecked emotionally from page 1 and on.