Unraveling

[3.4~3.5] rather than your run-of-the-mill romance, this is a life story in the mid 1980s about two men living in Chicago whose spheres occasionally collide as they maneuver through the trials and tribulations of family, self-discovery, and living one's truth.

only the author knows to what extent scenes from this “semi-memoir” are derived from his personal experience, but the story captures the anxieties and emotions of gay men on multiple fronts, such as living in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. i could feel the roots originated in a very personal place. thankfully there is an HEA reserved for the very end of the story paired with a worthwhile epilogue, but i know the arduous path to that point won't be for everyone.

as for the audiobook, what an interesting experience! i've never encountered one with this much post-production editing brought into play, including bg sounds to set the ambience, echoing voice effects to denote inner thoughts, etc.

now could it have been applied with a lighter touch? definitely. there was one distinct bg sound set on loop - i believe in the bar? - where some person was making some kind of indecipherable commotion, and i found myself more intrigued by what was happening out of the spotlight