The follow up to In A Dark Wood doesn't involve a mystery unless you count the fact that Tim disappeared from Luke's life for two and half years. Tim has fled to California in hopes of getting his alcoholism under control. He's back in New York for a friend's wedding. Is it kismet that Luke and Tim bump into each other or is it just a painful meeting? This is a painfully, wonderful exploration of the affects of alcoholism on relationships. It's at times, intense and hard to digest. In the end the journey is worthwhile for the characters and this reader. I'm not sure I can put this into words that sound anywhere near sane, but Lanyon's depiction of on-the-cusp relationships always have me nauseated with emotion! Not kidding. At all. The tension, misunderstandings and suppressed passion actually make me feel quite physically sick before they resolve themselves. Always! And the reason I'm giving this one five stars and a review (of sorts) is that the story focused almost solely on that. Because this author's flawed, broken main characters, their chemistry and their poor attempts at communication are so engaging that I sometimes end up skimming the rest of the plot. I just can't take the wait, I need to see them together again! Seriously, they eclipse their own story. Heart-wrenching!
