Title: The Monolith
Series: N/A
Author: Albert Nothlit
Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal
Length: Novella (78 pages)
Publisher: MLR Press (11 June 2015)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5Hearts
Blurb: A surgeon’s hands are his livelihood, but what if they are rendered useless by pain?
It started with gentle tremors and slight exhaustion after a long day in the OR. Mark ignored the signs, and now overuse and repetitive stress have rendered his hands practically useless. It hurts even to brush his teeth.
For Mark, it seems his career is over just a couple of years after it began. He sinks deeper into depression with each day, and he doesn’t have high hopes for the weeklong stay in the physiotherapy clinic his mother has arranged for him. His therapist, Corey, is young and handsome, but Mark isn’t looking for a boyfriend.
He’s looking for a friend.
ISBN: MLR-1-02015-0418
Product Link: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=ANMNOLTH
Reviewer: Prime
Review: The Monolith was something of a first exposure for me to the writing of Albert Nothlit. Overall, this was an excellent read. I like that it rather than outright explored the theme of finding love after a life changing event. Instead our main character is a lot more realistic than that. In that way, it makes this book both relatable and believable. (I’ll get to my observations about the monolith part of the story at the end).
The story centres on Mark. A talented surgeon and like many in the profession, places too much pressure and stress on his body (and mind). The result of this is that Mark now has a type of repetitive strain injury and will not be able to operate again without intense physical therapy. This leads him to a “therapy retreat” where he meets Corey.
They hit it off right away but the question is, is this a romance or just a bromance? Neither of them is looking for a boyfriend and they are in very different stages, at least mentally, in their lives. The best part, perhaps, is that there is room for a sequel, so it would be nice to be able to know more about what happens to these guys.
Okay, so let’s cover that monolith part. It is the title of the book and at first it occurred to me that “monolith” referred somewhat to Mark’s state of mind – his injury seemed insurmountable to the point he was depressed that he would never be a surgeon again.
Then later on, as Mark and Corey get to know each other, we are thrown an actual real ancient monolith. It’s hanging about in the California desert, near the retreat and is pretty cool. Now we come to why I took off half a star, because this is something that is really bugging me. Events surrounding the physical monolith allow Corey and Mark to get their shit together but the way it was done was… it was a bit X-Files.
And yes, I know “monolith” usually makes people think either faeries or aliens. Basically, the monolith has an X-Files supernatural moment, maybe a total of three pages in an otherwise contemporary novella, and that is it. To me it seemed out-of-place because as a plot device it wasn’t used at all, it was just there. It was used in the same way that one of the characters could have said “oh no! I think I saw a bear!” or whatever other wild animal you can conjure to exist in those parts.
Otherwise, this is a really excellent read. I love that Mark is realistic and is concentrating on getting better, physically and mentally, and not ready for anything serious. Yet at the same time you can see from the get go there is so much potential between Corey and Mark. The chemistry is great. Corey is all sunshine and kindness, the opposite of Mark’s bluntness. I would love to see both these characters develop further in a sequel, as I said above.
I would recommend this one to those who especially like a medically “broken” character. As the story progresses we see Mark get over his ego, and slowly come to terms with his injury and his treatment. In general though, I imagine that this is the type of book that would appeal to just about anyone.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Thank you for the review! Glad you liked it 🙂