Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Sometimes the best kept secret is the one you keep from yourself…

“I’m an ordinary man with an ordinary life in every way. Except for Jun. That’s what I think to myself every night when I watch Jun getting ready for his work as a bar host in Kabukicho. He’s everything I’m not. He’s the beautiful, graceful, sociable and ambitious counterpart to me—a hulking, reclusive, completely unambitious guy who’d rather fix car and motorcycle engines all day than interact with people… I’d be happy if Jun just stayed here with me the rest of our lives, in this little apartment we’d once shared with Dad. But Jun has other plans.”

Or so Jun thinks. One night he gets ready and goes to work. But a tragic occurrence derails his career and all his plans for the future.

Through the eyes of his best friend, Tomo, the man who loves him above all others, Jun will be forced to confront himself, his deepest fears, hates, desires. And his deepest love.

Book Review

“If you find even one true friend in this lifetime, you’re very fortunate.” This is what Tomo's dad in 'Soy Sauce Face' by Sedonia Guillone often says. Tomo wants to be Jun's one true friend, but Jun's insecurities, and his own, prevent this from happening. Tomo must realize that if he wants to experience love unconditionally, it means he must first love and nurture himself.

Tomo is a very kind and gentle man who worships Jun. The only problem with worshiping someone is that the pedestal upon which you've placed them can become so high that the object of your affection is unreachable. Tomo is aware of the sacrifice he's making just to be in Jun's life, i.e., denying himself basic needs, having no life of his own, and putting himself down just to keep Jun up on the pedestal that Tomo has created in his mind. It takes a tragedy to break the cycle which has caused things to become so off-balance, regroup, and put things right.

Jun broke my heart with his obvious denial of his feelings about his mother and about Tomo. In his mind, it is his fault that his mother left him. Jun believes that there is something wrong with him that makes him unworthy of love. Before Tomo's father died, Jun was happy, although he never entirely believed that Dad and Tomo loved him; but after his death, Jun starts running away from himself and Tomo, fast and furiously. Unfortunately when he does, he is running from the very thing that he needed most. Jun needs to absolve himself from any guilt connecting him to his mother's desertion; Jun needs to recapture the affection and security of the good times he had with the only two people in his life who ever truly loved him – Tomo and his father. Only then will he be able to express his joy.

This is an intense, well paced, and well written story. Although it features some glamorous people and places it's not a fairy tale. It's a realistic look at life in the Japanese culture, emphasizing a formal, exotic tone. Tomo's narrative drew me deeply into his feelings, making them even more poignant. Regardless of cultural differences, many of life's challenges, especially concerning love, are universal. For all of us, love doesn't just happen; love must be nurtured in order to grow and, as any successful couple knows, the best relationships of all begin with a firm foundation of friendship.

I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys an extraordinary story of love, loyalty, sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption and can appreciate the idea that being married to your best friend is one of the greatest gifts in the Universe. Thanks, Sedonia, for moving my heart and making me think.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Ai Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 90 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-January-2012
Price	$3.30 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Soy-Sauce-Face-Gay-romance-ebook/dp/B0071T5RYM