The storyline is both encouraging and troubling: two guys who were intimate in high school and shared a connection are now separated by their careers and goals. Toby is part of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and seeks romantic satisfaction through random hookups. His best friend from high school, Biscuit, is a band director at a high school in Asheville, NC, and is married to a staff member at the famous Grove Park Inn. Toby is surprised to learn about Biscuit's marriage as he prepares to perform with the NY Orchestra on their summer trip south, including a stop in Asheville. Biscuit is surprised by Toby's phone call before the trip and shares that his marriage may be ending.
Dann Hazel skillfully develops the story as Lars undergoes rehabilitation for his drug issues. At the same time, Biscuit navigates being supportive despite feeling that their divorce is inevitable and that the distance between them is not getting any closer. Toby's visit makes the prospect of a future together more appealing, yet the narrative explores various challenges that make reconciliation less likely.
The mixed reviews of the writing stem from transitions akin to movie scenes. The cuts showing Toby's hookups fail to convey the intimacy he longs for, which ultimately isn't real love. Our author's background in journalism, magazine writing, and other related fields may lend to this narrative style.
Some of the saddest moments in this book arise from Lars's reflections on his substance-abusing parents, his overwhelming sense of unworthiness for love, and regrets about the numerous drug-fueled hookups he's experienced.
Toby's support for Biscuit during this challenging time with Lars is commendable. Yet, it takes a true friend to reveal the lack of genuine love Toby has received from those he pursues as romantic interests.
The ending is mixed; it delivers both a devastating conclusion and hope for Toby and Biscuit. Both outcomes are tearful, a contrast of emotions, and abrupt. The writing style has the potential for a compelling movie, but given the cast of at least 15 characters, a character list would be helpful. It's not a long read, and I believe it's best enjoyed in a few sittings to help with this large character count. The ending was unexpected from Dann Hazel, though I had imagined multiple possible conclusions for this book.
I enjoyed the references to places in Asheville as I also live in North Carolina, and there appears to be some political commentary that was also interesting. North Carolina is not New York City nor Asheville, but it's a very welcoming, diverse, and well-populated area of our State.
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From the Publisher
Tommy Bischoff, aka Biscuit. A hopeless romantic. And a passionate dog lover trapped in a toxic marriage.
Demon's Touch and Go Moment
What frightened Biscuit was the high-pitched yelp. Immediately, he knew that Demon had been bitten. And the diamondback rattlesnake was a poisonous reptile.
Can Toby Claim His Own Private Biscuit?
He had begun to realize something about himself of which he was never completely sure, though he had always suspected it was. He was a picket fence sort of guy in a setting where picket fences almost never appeared.
Maybe you were meant to be soulmates. If you believe in that sort of thing.
Two lonely men, longing for—something—they were unsure they needed. Something more than mere companionship. Something they might not even recognize, no matter how close they came to it.
About the author
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