DAY 23

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Out in the Blue

SERIES: Never Too Late (2015 Daily Dose)

AUTHOR: Kelly Jensen

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 43 Pages

BLURB:

At forty-five, Jared Tailler suddenly feels old. When his employer grounds him, he starts thinking in terms of measuring his coffin. Well, not quite, but he’s creakier and hairier than he was ten years ago, and his closest relationship is the one he has with his frequent-flyer card.

It’s time to get out there.

On the first day of a five-day hiking trip, he meets Finley Macrae, a younger, seemingly brighter man. As they inch together in halting steps, Jared learns he’s not the only one lost out in the blue—Fin’s good cheer hides a turbulence deeper than Jared’s midlife crisis. Maybe together they can find the trail to happiness.

REVIEW:

Hitting forty-five has sent Jared Tailler spiraling into a midlife crisis. Since the man he was in love with left him five years earlier he’s been lonely but has pushed those thoughts aside by burying himself in work. Work that keeps him constantly busy, flying to new locations every few months and facing whole new challenges. The news that his employer is promoting him, effectively grounding him in one location just adds to the feeling that he is wasting his life, has already wasted half of his life, and he begins suffering from panic attacks. In an effort to actually get out and do something, to meet people, he signs up for a week of hiking with a company that runs hiking trips for gay men. But even in a group of sixteen other gay men he still feels awkward and alone. Luckily for Jared, fellow hiker Fin has decided that they’re going to become friends.

I’ve reviewed four of these stories now, plus read a couple more, but so far this one is my favourite. Jared was such a morose sort of character, a bit woe-is-me, but anyone who has ever had one of those stunning realizations that you’re no longer young will totally get where he’s coming from. The way he wallows in his misery is just so relatable, but at the same time he feels the need to prove, if only to himself, that he isn’t really too old to keep enjoying life. I loved the way he became more open to something happening with Fin, as he managed to physically achieve more while hiking up mountain trails.

The story is told completely from Jared’s point of view but we don’t miss out on getting to know Fin. He’s a perfect counter to Jared, his exuberance and upbeat attitude breathing life into each scene he enters as well as into his fellow main character. Beneath Fin’s positive energy, Fin is hurting but he’s tired of being sad and he knows it’s time to get on with his life. He’s hoping Jared might help him with that.

Despite it’s short length this story wasn’t rushed. The men become lovers but the fact that they become friends is the most important thing to them. We’re left with a HFN and both men hopeful that what they’re finding together could mean a happier future for them both.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press – Out in the Blue

Dreamspinner Press – Anthology

Amazon

ARe