About the Book
Title: In Memoriam
Author: ‘Nathan Burgoine
Published: October 18, 2016
ASIN: B01M5DL9Y4
Category: fiction, gay, novella
Genre: gay literature, romance
Synopsis
With one diagnosis, editor James Daniels learns that he’s literally running out of time. Looking at his life, he sees one regret: Andy, the one that got away. Andy was the first man that James ever loved, but Andy has been gone for years, and might not want to be found.
But as his cancer progresses and James starts to lose his grip on time and memory, it might just be that time and memory are losing their grip on James, too.
It’s the biggest and most important re-write of his life. Restoring love from nothing but memory might be possible, if the past isn’t too far gone to fix.
Purchase Link
Review
The story is short, so my review will be short. This was exactly what I needed to read but hadn’t known it. I picked it up on recommendation of an acquaintance when I said I was looking for something outside the usual romance. That’s exactly what it is.
There’s definitely a love story woven in, but it doesn’t unfold in the typical boy-meets-boy, happily ever after way. It’s warm and funny despite a somewhat grim plot. And it has what I would consider an ambiguous ending. We’re never quite sure where reality ends and fantasy begins (or perhaps the other way around) or what the outcome ultimately is. That’s my kind of story.
It’s so short that anything else I say would spoil all the surprises. I’ll leave it at highly recommending it if you want something that you may still be mulling over long after you’ve finished. This might sound odd, but it’s also just right if you felt like you needed a literary hug: smart but with heart.
For beautiful, intelligent writing, the right amount of humor vs. angst, and a perfect ending, this gets 10/10 fountain pens.
About the Author
‘Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His first published short story was “Heart” in the collection Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction. Since then, he has had dozens of short stories published, including This is How You Die (the second Machine of Death anthology).
His first novel, Light, is available from Bold Strokes Books and was a finalist for both the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT SF/Fantasy/Horror, and the BOTYA 2013 Gay & Lesbian (Adult Fiction) ForeWord award. His second and third novels, Triad Blood and Triad Soul, are available now from Bold Strokes Books. His first novella-length work, “In Memoriam,” was included in the collection On the Run, by Wilde City Press, and available as a solo e-novella through Lethe Press.
A cat lover, ‘Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing “cat or dog?” détente ended with the adoption of Coach, a six-year old husky. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
