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A review by jackiehorne
In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
4.0
Part of my holiday m/m romance read-a-thon. Loved Parrish's narrator, Daniel; growing up in a working class family, but then earning a PhD in literature, he's really crossing class lines by eschewing the path all three of his brothers have taken, following their father into the car repair business, and teaching college instead. It's fun to see how differently he comes across to the folks in the small Michigan town where he's taken a job at a local college than he does in big-city Philly, both from his fellow Ivy League snobby lit grad students and from his family.
And he's crossing gender lines, too; his family of origin is decided masculine, and doesn't just tease this younger brother; they torment him both not sharing their traditionally male interests and for being open about his sexual preference for men.
The relationship that Daniel develops with local quiet man Rex Vale seems rather idealized, but perhaps this is because we only hear about Rex through Daniel's POV.
Still, a very strong debut. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
And he's crossing gender lines, too; his family of origin is decided masculine, and doesn't just tease this younger brother; they torment him both not sharing their traditionally male interests and for being open about his sexual preference for men.
The relationship that Daniel develops with local quiet man Rex Vale seems rather idealized, but perhaps this is because we only hear about Rex through Daniel's POV.
Still, a very strong debut. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.