Wednesday 31 October 2012

Woke Up In A Strange Place, Eric Arvin


Woke Up in a Strange Place

An amazing story of self-discovery.  One of my all-time favorite books.
-Review by Cindi


The following review was originally posted on Goodreads on October 25, 2011.  I have only pushed one other author in the M/M genre as much as I have Eric Arvin... and this particular book.  I read Woke Up In A Strange Place over a year ago, but I still love it as much now as I did then.  This book turned me into a huge fan and I have loved every other book of his that I have read.  If you are interested in something totally different from the norm, I highly suggest Woke Up In A Strange Place.  You won't be disappointed.


Wow.  This was (by far) one of the most unusual and unique books I have ever read.  While looking for something new to read I saw the author's name on a site.  I saw this book.  I wasn't sure about it until I read a recommendation by another author (T.J. Klune) that I had just read the day before. That pushed me in the right direction and I decided to give it a try.  I am so glad I did. 

I am totally at a loss as to what to say about this book.  If I go into the story, I will give it away.  I do not want to do that.  All I will say is that it is a story of self-discovery, told in a way that I have never seen before.  Yes, it is a love story.  But the love story, while the ultimate goal of the story, is not front and center for the entire book.  While it is always there in the background for the main character (Joe) there are other things that must be resolved along the way during his journey.  The characters introduced during Joe's journey are funny, some are silly, and some are heartbreaking.

It takes a lot for a book to affect me to the point of tears.  This one did.  There were the good tears but there were also the sad ones.  Joe's road to self-discovery is not always told in a good or happy way.  That is what made the book so good.  

I could go on and on about how much I love this book but I won't.  Just read it.  It's not an overly sexual book.  There is not a lot of graphic stuff here.  But the love story is amazing.  This is one that will stick with me long after I completed it.



6 comments:

  1. Wonderful! Thank you! I am so touched that it touched you so deeply. I will now post this paage to my Facebook

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eric. I have read close to 500 M/M books and this ranks in the top 3 for me overall. When you read as much as I do, it's nice to find a book that really stands out. Brilliant story.

      Delete
    2. I have ALWAYS wanted to read this book. I've never picked it up though. I must. From the cover to the journey it has this transmundane vibe.

      Delete
    3. I believe I pushed this book to you within days of us meeting? :) You HAVE to read it. You'll appreciate it because it's not the run of the mill, typical m/m love story. It's a bit out there.. which is what makes it so good in my opinion. It's a beautiful story.

      I didn't mention the cover in the review but it's one of my favorites.

      Delete
    4. You did, along with T J Klune and Zathyn Priest:)

      Delete
    5. T.J., not as much because I know you aren't that big on books with kids in them. But if you were I'd be pushing the hell out of his books too. :) I now have people who read Eric and Zathyn's books to shut me up. I'm cool with that.. lol.

      Delete