REVIEW: 'Through the Closet Door' by Rick R. Reed
Title: Through the Closet Door
Author: Rick R. Reed
Published: November 29, 2016 - 2nd Edition
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Length: 33 Pages
Tags: Gay, M/M, Coming Out, Family Drama, May/December; Novelette
About Through the Closet Door
Gregory seems to have it all: youth, good looks, a beautiful wife, a job he loves as an elementary school teacher, a quiet house on the beach.
So why is Gregory so miserable? Why is he unable to control his lingering gaze on his neighbor, Jake, the handsome truck driver who lives just down the way? Why does Gregory spend his private time keeping a secret journal that details fantasies and memories of him locked in embraces with other men?
It’s summer, and the peaceful lake belies the turmoil in Gregory's heart. His wife wants to start a family, while Gregory wants to start something with Jake, but doesn’t dare.
Climbing out of the closet is never easy ... but it’s even more difficult when doing so might shatter the lives of those around you.
2nd Edition - Original Publication 2009, Amber Quill Press
5 HEART READ
REVIEW:
Rick R. Reed's, Through the Closet Door, garners my first 5 hearts for a short story. Not since O. Henry's Gift of the Magi, have I found one as completely satisfying.
At 27, Gregory figures he should be happy. Other men covet his sexy, loving wife. He enjoys his career as a third-grade teacher and their home by the lake.
If only he weren't gay. This coming out story tracks Gregory’s shifting assessment of the choice to live as a straight man.
It’s the tale of one frail human. But Reed lets readers peek into Gregory's wondrously written journal, which is more vibrant than his life. There, we learn of his passion, and can contrast it with his real life. Gregory's confusion is palpable, almost as if he is another character.
Most people have a "self" we disavow, though we must own, if we are to live peacefully.
Reed writes the universal story of self-realization, packing enormous, angst, growth, and hope in 33 brief pages.
I was awed by Rick's capacity to portray intense psychological turmoil in brief moments, like a swim to the bottom of a pond! And his ending of Through the Closet Door is perfect: Neither sentimental, nor simplified.
I’ve never really liked short stories, but Rick R. Reed may just have made me a convert.
A copy of Through the Closet Door was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Rick R. Reed, in exchange for our fair and honest opinion.
About the Author
Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). His novel, Raining Men, won the Rainbow Award for Best Contemporary General Fiction. Lambda Literary Review has called him, "a writer that doesn't disappoint." Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever "at work on another novel."
For more of Rick’s works be sure and visit his website.
