Rating: 3š
Foxed, Fuddled, Swallowed a Hare, and Other Words for āDrunkā.
Right from the title, Jay Hoganās new release and I just couldnāt connect.
For me, foxed always has meant drunk. Hogan goes with a different definition.
FOXED: To be thrown into a state of uncertainty-flustered, bamboozled, bewildered, puzzled, vexed.
Thatās how I felt about the book. As if the author and I were in different places here. Same place but different perspectives.
I normally enjoy Hoganās work and was eagerly waiting on this novel with its older couple, the Wellington location, and some of the elements Iād heard of. But my disappointment with the characters and detachment started immediately.
Jed Marshall is discussing Harrison Ford with Nash Collingwood over lunch. During the conversation about his Star Wars movies gets dismissed because itās just āsh**ty SciFiā.
Trust me, the book almost went down there.
But the really problematic issues, and they are many in my opinion, have to do with his character, and his family.
While Nash Collingwood is a well rounded, and layered personality with depth to his character, Jed feels almost ephemeral.
His family is homophobic, intrusive, controlling, and unable to respect boundaries. Heās unable to set boundaries, communicate, and stand up for himself. Heās in his fifties. Heās basically got the t-shirt that reads doormat.
Heās a bisexual man whoās hidden that part of himself from everyone but his ex-wife. When given the chance to tell his friends and family repeatedly that heās in a new relationship, he lies about it. Setting up a dramatic explosion of emotions to come.
Iām left to feel bad for Nash whoās put his heart out there, after a bad experience,into the hands of a man who teeters between running away from any reasonable expectation of commitment because of his fears and his own inability to handle his family.
The ending, which was rushed a week timeline wise after the emotional explosions went off, felt simplified and unrealistic.
In all, this just wasnāt the book or couple for me. From my perspective, Jed was never someone I was going to respect so I felt disconnected from his story. The characters and the relationship was not realistic in its resolution.
Iām sure others wonāt see it this way and have a different viewpoint on their romance.
But for me Iām setting my sights on the next Hogan release.
https://www.amazon.com āŗ Foxed-J…Foxed – Hogan, Jay: Books
FOXED: To be thrown into a state of uncertainty-flustered, bamboozled, bewildered, puzzled, vexed.
AKA, me. Jed Marshall. 55-year-old successful classic car mechanic; divorced, mostly closeted, and whose wholly inexperienced bisexuality has suddenly awakened after one smouldering look and said, ‘Damn, who’s the hottie?’ Or words to that effect.
Cue, Nash Collingwood. 53-year-old scarily smart high school principal; out, gay, confident, and sexy as hell. He’s also my daughter’s boss. So, not complicated at all, right? Nash could ignite a bonfire with a single sultry look, comes fully accessorised with a charm offensive Churchill would be proud of, an easy-going flattery that thrills my heart far too effortlessly, and an impressive track record with men many decades my junior.
In short, Nash is everything I’m not, and everything I’ve avoided for roughly my entire life. He’s the hot rod to my sensible family car, that is if you like your family cars with a few dents, creaky suspension, unexpected backfires, and a dodgy stick.
The last thing I need is a relationship-especially with a man. I buried that pipe dream a long time ago and a little loneliness is a small price to pay. The festive season and long summer vacation are on our doorstep. I’m finally getting things right with my family who mean everything to me, and I don’t want to mess that up.
But Nash doesn’t care about my awkward inexperience, or clumsy excuses, or any of my insecurities. Nash only sees me. He wants me. For the first time in years, I feel alive and sexy and a whole lot more than just a good father and grandfather.
I should walk away, but the closer Nash and I become, the more he fills my grey world with colour, and the promise of a second chance at love I never thought possible.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 