Shall we see what caught the Review Team's eye this month?

Nothin' Town
Sasha Distan

Reviewer: Timothy M.
Status: Complete
Word Count: 5,619

Sasha Distan's American Songbook series takes place in rural USA, featuring cowboys, farm hands, rodeo enthusiasts and al the other kinds of people who populate the countryside and the small towns. There are two longer stories, which were very popular with readers, but the rest of the series are short stories showing a small slice of rural life.

Nothin' Town is one of those, and in this story we get to experience a Georgia setting via the eyes of a disgruntled teen. His parents have given up city life, partly because their sixteen-year-old son was brought home by police for being drunk and disorderly. Since Liam is gay, maybe it's a bit surprising they made the decision to move to 'the notoriously conservative South' as Israfil said in a comment. 

However, this issue doesn't play a part in Liam's choice of keeping his head down in the local high school, or giving off 'unapproachable' vibes to his peers. He is simply too focused on missing his old life and friends in Boston, and being bored and full of self-pity. But he finally pulls himself together and begins to open up, partly because one guy makes an effort to be friendly. He invites Liam to visit the horse ranch of his family and introduces him to his group of friends. Of course, Liam realizes the futility of crushing on handsome-but-straight guys, but at least he feels less lonely.

There is a sweet little twist in the tale at the end, which had most readers asking for a sequel, including me. On the other hand, I have to admit the story works well the way it is. Why don't you check it out and see what you think?

Category: Fiction  Genres:  Adventure, Western  Tags:  teen, rural  Rating: Everyone