Xylophone by K. Z. Snow

Title:  Xylophon16141334e

Author:  K. Z. Snow

Genre:  Contemporary

Length:  Novel (162 pages)

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press (December 12, 2012)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥3 ½ Hearts

Blurb:  Daren Boothe’s most significant secret centres on an unlikely object: a xylophone. That secret led him to develop his professional alter-ego, a sensual, androgynous dancer. When Dare begins his second (and considerably more wholesome) job playing clarinet in a polka band, he meets a young man who takes his grandmother out dancing. But Dare knows the man has his own secret.

Jonah Day immediately recognizes the clarinettist. Three years earlier they crossed paths in a therapist’s office, but they both abandoned that route to mental health. Neither was ready then to open up about the psychological traumas that haunted them.

In an attempt to heal their wounds, Dare and Jonah turn to each other. Understanding and empathy come instantly, accompanied by ambivalence about their growing attraction. But the repercussions of victimization are many. Soon, the very experiences Dare and Jonah share threaten to drive them apart.

Product Link:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3445

Reviewer:   Colt

Review:  Xylophone is a book about trust, acceptance, and learning to move on. Snow thrusts us into the life of Dare, a professional exotic dancer, and Jonah, a man who at first looks unremarkable. These two men, so different from each other, share the loss of their childhood at the hands of two paedophiles, and another brief encounter in a therapist’s office three years before. Finally ready to share the events that changed their lives forever, Dare and Jonah begin meeting, each taking comfort in the fact that someone else understands exactly how they feel.

On a personal level, this story isn’t amazing or even great enough to make one’s heart stop. It is, however, real. The characters are real, from the way they think and behave, to their interactions. I refer not just the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. The author leads us through Dare and Jonah’s conversations, the moments when they finally tell everything they felt, thought, and went through as kids, and the relief they feel as they realize the person standing in front of them knows just what they mean. We listen as they share the beginning of what became a living nightmare, and their own analysis of it now that they are older and wiser. We see the way their families, the people who are supposed to love and protect them even from themselves, react in the most different (and, unfortunately, human) ways, from rejection and disbelief, to acceptance and helplessness.

Every character is flawed, not at all perfect. Dare realises locking away his memories is not actually helping him, and that not only is he ready to start sharing them, but he is also prepared to stop letting them dictate his life. Jonah spent a few years in a blur, trying so hard to forget he ends up losing what little he had of himself, until he finally admits to needing some help and rehabilitation. After the two lift the weights from their shoulders, they understand that just talking to someone like them isn’t enough. They know and finally accept they need professional help.

In terms of writing, Snow does an amazing job with colours, from the make-up the dancers use, to the landscape. However, since music is very important to this story, I wish there were a lot more sound descriptions.

Overall, this is a good book, hard and soft, painful and liberating. It is concise and well written. However, it isn’t mind-blowing. But in a world where life isn’t fair and the opportunity for self-discovery isn’t always available, isn’t it good to just read about a couple who made it without Hollywood-esque moments? Isn’t it more realistic and, therefore, inspiring?