Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Bad enough Elijah Colter’s life of comfort comes to an abrupt end when he’s seventeen and his family discovers he’s gay. Bad enough he must live out of his car and turn tricks. But when his perfect boyfriend, Alonzo, becomes the victim of a drive-by shooting, Elijah plummets into suicidal depression. The concepts of trust and hope become more alien to him than ever.

All that keeps Elijah going is a promise he made: that he would look after Alonzo’s stepdad, Dizzy, who’s on the verge of losing his house.

Diz and Elijah become companions in homelessness—until Elijah discovers a program for throwaway LGBT youth. Through it he secures an apartment… then loses it after a year. He’s kept his promise, though, and until he can get back on his feet, he’s resigned to joining Dizzy in the abandoned factory the older man calls home.

One fall day, a pair of new presences in Elijah’s life promise to shape his future: Michael, an outreach volunteer, and Alonzo’s ghost. Both prompt Elijah to decide which of his dreams to pursue, which to cast aside, and just how much he can dare to believe in love, and in himself, again.

 

Book Review

I can, intellectually, empathize with homelessness and living on the streets. I don't, however, know or understand, truly, what that life is like or how I would deal with it. I was never a throwaway to my parents, regardless of what I did, whom I dated, or how many times I failed and picked myself back up. It wasn't until I was in my midtwenties that I really began to appreciate the concept of unconditional love. 'Resurrection Man' by KZ Snow is the story of one young man's faith, and despair, when his unconditional love is thrown away and ripped from his hands. How do you ever come back from that and learn to trust and love again?

To say that Elijah hasn't had an easy life since he was seventeen, is to say that Mt. Rushmore is just some stone carvings. His parents threw him out when they found out he was gay, unless, of course, he was willing to repent and speak with their priest. Apparently the first sixteen years of their love was only true as long as Elijah was who they wanted him to be. He lived on the streets, out of his car, often selling himself, and then he met Alonzo. They were together for fourteen months, living together for almost a year, when, on a visit to Chicago to see Dizzy, Alonzo's stepdad, Alonzo was shot and killed on the street in a drive-by. Alonzo died in Elijah's arms. Elijah was nineteen. One year later, Dizzy is now in Milwaukee, living in an abandoned factory, Elijah is about to lose his little apartment because he can't get a job that pays enough, and he's started seeing Alonzo's ghost. Elijah is fairly certain he's losing his mind.

As Elijah is visiting Dizzy one day, he meets Michael, a volunteer street liaison for a homeless agency. Elijah is drawn to this compassionate and caring man, and his guilt at even looking at another man slowly dissipates. Elija and Michael's growing friendship helps Elijah recognize that hiding from people and being stuck in the past isn't a healthy way to live. He begins to understand that he can't move forward until he reconciles the past. When Elijah and Michael finally tumble into bed together, Elijah gets something he's never had before, even with Alonzo. Elijah gets gentleness and long, slow foreplay. But, just having sex doesn't pave the way towards happy ever after, for either of them. They both have guilt, for different reasons, and Michael tries to get Elijah to promise he won't sell himself for money. Elijah can't make that promise though, he's doing everything possible to get a job, but there's nothing out there with his limited skills. He's going to have to move to the factory with Dizzy.

Oh. My. What. The. Hell? I can't believe the curveball the author threw at me. Well, at Elijah, actually. Up until this point, I was liking the book, but I hadn't been blown away. After that? Consider me blown. And Elijah's trust in people, is again significantly damaged. This was a really tough lesson for Elijah to learn, but I'm so glad he finally got it. Rose colored glasses can really skew your perception and it was time for Elijah to grow up. He did. And, in the process, he found what he'd been looking for all along. His own resurrection man.

A wonderful book! The writing is intense, the characters are strong, including the secondary ones, and overall, this is a truly fantastic story. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author and I highly recommend this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 210 pages/55916 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	06-August-2014
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/resurrection-man-by-kz-snow-3283-b