Rainbow Book Reviews
Neither dealing with the death of a sibling nor dealing with the death of a lover is ever easy. But in this story the situation is even more complicated. Johnny’s older brother Eli died on duty, and Josh wasn’t able to stop it. It’s easy for Johnny to blame Josh, who has been a shared friend for many years, even though he knows it’s not Johnny’s fault. Johnny for his part has lost not just his right arm, but his lover – and he blames himself. There is more than enough guilt going around already, but when Johnny begins to realize he could fall for Josh, and vice versa, the situation becomes untenable. What follows is a struggle to deal with their guilt, anger, and beginnings of a love that seems entirely misplaced. Johnny ‘s initial reaction to his brother Eli’s death, aside from feeling lost and left behind, is anger at Josh for letting it happen. As irrational as it is, it is part of the grieving process that allows Johnny to deal with the situation. At the same time he wants to help Josh because he can see how broken Josh is about losing Eli. His growing attraction would be inappropriate under different circumstances, but with Eli gone, the rules are slightly different. It takes Johnny a while to understand an accept this, but once he does, there is no stopping him. If you like stories about loss and how people deal with it, if two men united by their grief and struggling with what’s the right thing to do sound interesting, and if you’re looking for a read about characters who go from devastated to hopeful, then you might like this short story.
