Ilhem

Boxes bursting with comics and saved in extremis from an overzealous spring-cleaning are the cherished and bulky testimonies of my youthful love for muscular, secretive, kinda awkward and let’s face it repressed men in tight outfits.

Here comes Kieran, all twink vibes, verve and heart cracks, and my super-hero standards are revisited! I loved his voice, his humour, his refusal to hide and inability to stay secretive, his chemistry with Sébastien à la fabulous leather-harnessed chest. The author fleshed him out beautifully and his portraying is a good balance of spirit, foolishness, vulnerability and endearing qualities.  Kieran is a wonderful character and I lurve him!

Kieran takes it upon himself to use his powers to save the Ottawa Pride and its participants from a paranormal threat, which leads to hilarious lines about his new-found celebrity on the one hand, and to rather  impulsive improvisations on the other hand. I’ll be honest; the paranormal mystery lacked suspense and didn’t always keep me spellbound.  I was well enough entertained and certainly didn’t get bored, but I didn’t bite my nails with anxiety either. The tab's on me though;  I don't think that the author  intended me to, and  I'm pretty sure that it will totally suit  friends of mine who hate being creeped out.  However, some moments as well as some descriptions of Kieran's powers weakened the tension and pulled me out of the story or the action, perhaps because it felt to me like they  belonged to another story line and only weighed on this one, made it less efficient.

Light is nevertheless a delicious read and an accomplished novel. It's just the kind of humour I'm fond of : agile mind, sharp tongue and the skill with language that goes with it; it’s sexy without being tacky, lovely without being sappy. Above all, it is determinedly positive, celebrating openness, pride, joy, love, friends and family. It has its heartbreak, never lingered on, but always a twinge in the heart, and surely making openness, pride, joy, love, friends and family all the more valuable.

At last but not least, it seals the Great Reconciliation between cat and dog persons, and it’s a running joke that I found very amusing, for once.

I have awaited this first novel by Nathan Burgoine ever since I discovered his writing in a short story that made a strong impression on me.  I am not disappointed. I’m waiting for the next one and will track Burgoine’s short stories in the meantime.