An astoundingly well-written romance set in early 1990s Alaska about a gay trans white American park ranger and gay Pakistani-Indian wolf biologist. The richness of the characters and strong sense of place made for an unforgettable read. It’s rare for me to try to make a novel last even longer so it won’t end. It’s even more rare for me to have a book hangover. I simply did not want to leave Will and Nikhil behind. I’m going to try to be more measured here but inside, I’m jumping up and down in excitement, clutching this story to my chest. It’s truly one of the best romances I’ve ever read. C.L. Beaumont deserves all the recognition!
Will has forged the life he wants, to a degree. He’s a park ranger. He’s living as a man. But no one knows that he’s trans or gay, not even his best friend Gina. He’s deeply closeted, steeled for rejection at every turn. The isolated landscape mirrored how Will has isolated himself. He spends the winters in a remote cabin in the park by himself and then reemerges for the summer season. Even then, he doesn’t interact much with the other employees. Will wants to be seen but the risks are real. And then he meets Nikhil, much lauded in his field and in Denali for research. Nikhil is isolated in his own ways too. The story alternates between the summer they met and one year later. We know something tore them apart but not what or how that barrier will be overcome. The structure paid off for me.
Names for the Dawn is the angsty book I've been longing for. This is a languorous, interior book. It’s not that things don’t happen; how the characters feel about these situations matters more. It made me cry several times—my highest praise. This was heart-wrenching and then some and not always in ways I might have guessed. I felt so deeply for Will and Nikhil, completely invested in how they could possibly get to their HEA. I was riveted as the story unfolded and I could have easily read 100 more pages. It's strange to say but it was an honor to watch Will fall in love and be loved by Nikhil in return. Their intimacy built in such lovely, thoughtful ways, making for one satisfying romance. My heart is so full.
What impressed me more than the structure was the writing itself. I highlighted and re-read so many passages, just taking them in. It’s not just that the writing itself is beautiful, although it absolutely is. It’s the way Beaumont writes with care for his readers. There’s nary an emotionally manipulative plot choice. Everything that happened felt earned. I was able to trust where the author was taking me, even when he was ripping my heart out. I will be consuming his backlist promptly.
This deals directly with transphobia and homophobia, largely in the past or what could happen in the future. Will regularly tries to make sense of his past relationship with his father before he was rejected, trying to square up his vision of who he thought his dad was and the way this impacted what he thought of his gender. As mentioned above, Beaumont writes with care about both his characters and his readers. Will is scared of risking any kind of vulnerability and Nikhil has his own concerns. Finding love will not automatically undo all those insecurities and self-protective measures, nor does it mean potential bigotry isn’t a concern in the early 1990s. However, the focus is more on Will slowly moving toward others and experiencing Nikhil’s complete acceptance of who he is. This made for so many moving scenes.
As much as I want to gush about so many parts this book, I also want you to experience them for yourself so I’ll leave it at that. It’s the kind of story that you can just let unfold and let things be revealed in their own time. I’ll be bringing up this wonderful romance to everyone for some time to come. My only hope is that more people will read it.
Content notes: closeted MCs (no forced outing), panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia, nightmare, past suicidal ideation, death of pet dog (old age), substance abuse (Nikhil), past transphobia, societal homophobia, family estrangement, past child abuse (by Will’s mother), Nikhil left his family as a young teen for boarding school in England and has lived apart from them ever since, body dysmorphia, gender dysphoria, weight loss/body commentary, past racism and bullying at school, past corporal punishment at school, testosterone injections, scars from top surgery, medical calls as part of Will’s job, mental health stigma on Will’s part (countered by Nikhil), thwarted grizzly bear attack, off page animal death (including wolf cub), secondary character becomes pregnant and gives birth off-page, alcohol, inebriation (secondary character), cocaine, cigarette references, brief cissexist language, ableist language, mentions of Nikhil’s mom fleeing Pakistan during Partition and the death of her whole family, reference to a fatphobic joke (countered), reference to sister’s teen pregnancy
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Top reviews from other countries
- RFReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2021
Beautiful, heartaching, and hopeful
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2021
Beautiful. I not only fell in love with Will and Nikhil but Denali.
