Listening to Dust by Brandon Shire

Review

Rarely do I find myself so completely engaged by a story that does not have a happy ending... rarely? It's so rare that I can count the times I've been so affected by such a story on half of one hand; maybe. But I found myself needing to get back to Brandon Shire's fabulous book Listening to Dust. It wasn't always easy to read, but it has left its mark on my soul.

Listening to Dust does not, as I said, have an HEA but it is an extremely powerful and very moving story, one that will be with me for a long time to come. I will be so bold as to say that I found Listening to Dust heart-achingly compelling; the emotions it engendered ran the gamut from happiness to hatred, contentment to sorrow, yet the overwhelming feeling I was left with was that I had experienced something real.

The relationships—Dustin and Stephen, Dustin and Robbie and even Stephen and Robbie—like the characters, are vivid and dynamic... and unforgettable. Brandon Shire bring to life these men and their experiences. 

Dustin's and Stephen's lives, in particular, have been filled with pain and loneliness, but together they find something precious.  

Listening to Dust is rife with the dichotomy between dreams and reality; which is preferable? And can there be one without the other? That is, for me, the ultimate message. 

With the outstanding storytelling I discovered in Listening to Dust, I expect to be enjoying stories from Brandon Shire for a long time to come.

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Listening to Dust by Brandon Shire

Publisher: TGP Books

Length: 142 pages (PDF)

Story description

Sometimes, in love, there are no second chances.

Murder touched Stephen Dobbins when he was a young boy and left him living in a void of aching loneliness. A chance meeting with a young American chased away the fear that he would always be alone and brought him the prospect of a new existence.

Dustin Earl joined the military and escaped his small town Southern upbringing with the hope that he could give his mentally challenged brother a better life. But Dustin had never known real love, an honest hug, or a simple kiss. He considered his sexuality a weakness; a threat that had been used against those he cared about.

For eight months their relationship blossomed until Dustin suddenly returned home. He cherished Stephen, but felt his responsibilities to his brother outweighed his own chance at happiness.

Shattered, unable to function and unwilling to accept Dustin’s departure, Stephen flew three thousand miles to get Dustin back and rekindle what they had. But what he would learn when he got there… he could never have imagined.

http://brandonshire.com