Book Reviews

Book Blurb

For Alan and Brian, adopting a dog brings old problems to the surface. Travis can’t deal with a lack of control and Alan is unhappy always giving in. When their new dog Travis starts getting on Brian’s nerves, the tension in their relationship that they’ve been ignoring explodes. Brian has to face that he isn’t the man he needs to be in order to save his marriage.

 

Book Review

It seems to be accepted wisdom that kids can’t save a marriage, but having them can certainly bring out simmering tensions. As this story shows, the same goes for dogs. When long-term, now married, couple Alan and Brian bring a dog into their lives, the tension that was bubbling away before erupts sky-high and both men have to face demons that might have gone undiscovered for a few more years had it not been for Travis.

Brian has an issue with not being in control. It only emerges slowly as the story develops, but there are a few situations that clued me in. A dog is, by its very nature, unpredictable, and Brian finds it difficult to tolerate the changes having him around bring to his life. His background and how he worked hard to get where he is now explain a lot of that, and while it was interesting to see him struggle, I also really felt sorry for him – possibly because I tend to err on the side of control in my own life. But Brian’s issues go deeper than battles with control, and having to deal with Travis’s accidents bring all of them into the spotlight.

Alan has dealt with Brian for nine years, and while Brian has improved from where he used to be, he still makes life for Alan tough at times. Once Alan decides to open up and lets Brian know how he feels, what he fears, and how tough things have been on occasion, they finally have the opportunity to make some real progress. And the ending? Priceless!

If you like short, intense stories, if existing couples struggling with aspects of their relationship are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that feels real and contains as much drama as humor, then you will probably like this short story.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The anthology this short story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 24 pages/5000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	22-June-2016
Price	$2.49 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79_93&products_id=4680