Reviewed by True
TITLE: The Midnight Man
AUTHOR: Kevin Klehr
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 189 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2021
BLURB:
Stanley is almost fifty. He hates his job, has an overbearing mother, and is in a failed relationship. Then he meets Asher, the man of his dreams, literally in his dreams.
Asher is young, captivating, and confident about his future—everything Stanley is not. So, Asher gives Stan a gift. The chance to be an extra five years younger each time they meet.
Some of their adventures are whimsical. A few are challenging. Others are totally surreal. All are designed to bring Stan closer to the moment his joyful childhood turned to tears.
But when they fall in love, Stan knows he can’t live in Asher’s dreamworld. Yet he is haunted by Asher’s invitation to “slip into eternal sleep.”
REVIEW:
Stanley isn’t as happy as he expected. He’s nearly fifty and lives with his partner Francesco. They spice up their sex life with thirds, mostly younger ones. He even suspects his partner is cheating. He needs something different.
One night Stanley meets Asher, the Midnight Man, who’s quite the man of his dreams, literally of his very lively dreams. Asher is young and attractive. They talk, they evaluate life, there are many questions and many revelations. There’s nothing superficial between them. Something significant is taking place.
Stanley faces values of all ages, he’s learning, introspective, understanding.
Francesco isn’t happy anymore, he finds himself with someone else than Stanley. Stanley isn’t what Franky thought he would be.
Stanley his life with Asher is a new experience, a world full of metaphors to bring everything in perspective.
Stanley feels younger and younger every time he meets Asher.
Asher has a proposition for Stanley, like a dream, to stay with him forever.
“Come with me, Stanley,” Ash whispered. “Slip with me into eternal sleep.”
It’s getting complicating and weirder when Francesco enters the same realm where Stanley and Asher are. Facing a new Stanley, Francesco wants to win him back.
It’s a complicated story, alternating between different consciousness, the plot is quite intriguing. For the first half of the story, I wasn’t sure about the direction, the second half it got all much clearer.
While I enjoyed the story very, I missed some deeper emotional moments, those where my eyes get blurred or where I get goosebumps, the characters felt a bit at distance, out of reach.
The big picture of this story is about re-evaluating and even relive life, work at blockages who are stand in the way of happiness, find your footing and purpose in life.
The story was consistently written and intriguing, the ending quite suitable for such a journey.
RATING: 
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