Misunderstandings

Misunderstandings is the first – and I believe the only – book, by BigAKHorton, which is a shame because it is so good. How often do you get to read a story about the lives of two ordinary grown ups, that just comes alive off the pages? It is very well written, full of moments of happiness, sadness, and comedy. 

This book will make you laugh and will make you hope that everything somehow will work out for Davis and Luis. The reality of trying to make a relationship work when you have not had too many great experiences, are full of self doubt, and can’t quite believe it, is described perfectly.

The misunderstandings follow each other in what is almost a comedy of errors, with each of our protagonists becoming his own worst enemy. Were it not for a cheeky effort by Luis’ best friend Shelley, there would have been no story to tell.

You will be drawn into the web of their ordinary existence by the descriptions of their lives that are just so marvellously drawn. It was a joy to read and I came away with a new view of people, and a renewed determination never to be too quick to judge others.

Misunderstandings by BigAKHorton is a story I return to whenever I want to feel good about life. I forget how I came across it, but whenever I think about the main characters, Davis and Luis, I get this warm, cuddly feeling inside.

The slightly scary title and the short description hide an unusually sweet story in spite of the almost trite theme of two guys who are attracted to each other but assume the other man isn’t interested. The main theme is explored in the first chapter which is the same length as the two subsequent chapters combined. But each chapter contains several important issues which Davis and Luis must deal with in order to find their happiness.

The odds are stacked against them, mainly due to Davis being a lot older than Luis, but also because of how people perceive the big guy. If anyone deserves the epithet Gentle Giant it’s Davis. I love the way AK describes him and how Davis deals with being lonely and desperate for a relationship. He likes himself and has plenty of humor and a dignity and honesty which are beautiful to witness.

It’s hard to say what I like most about this story, which is a wonderful mixture of funny scenes, like the one where Luis tries to explain ‘bear culture’ to his co-worker Shelley, and of tender and sometimes sad moments when Davis and Luis try to work past the misunderstandings and define their relationship. There are some truly breath-taking romantic moments in there, and they are even more awesome for being unexpected, unsentimental, and utterly sweet.

This story review is a shorter version of a Featured Story blog review.