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The Cranberry Hush (2011)

by Ben Monopoli(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Ben Monopoli

review 1: Vince, still in his early twenties and little more than two years out of college manages a comic shop in Harwich, Ma; he is bi and recently finished with his latest girl and we find him contemplating inviting round Zane, the hot young gay college guy who works with him, for hot chocolate, and hopefully more. But an unexpected visitor puts paid to this plan, Griff, his room-mate from college whom he has neither seen nor heard from since graduation has come to stay having been thrown out by his girl friend. Vince and Griff were as close as any two guys could be, and while something happened for them to lose contact Vince was the first person he thought to go to in his time of trouble. For Vince it was a dream come true; despite Griff being straight he always hoped there coul... mored be more between them, and now that Griff was staying with him maybe he could convince him to give it a go, all he needed was to give Griff a kiss to prove it, but how do you manoeuvre towards something like that? To complicate matters there was still Zane who made no secret of the fact that he worshipped Vince and wanted him; and Vince would be interested, but for Griff. Vince narrates the account of Griff's visit and the course of events that would lead to a resolution of all his problems. Throughout the account Vince regularly takes us back to episodes in his shared past with Griff during college, which frequently have a direct bearing on current events. The three main characters are each very appealing, all the more so as they are basically ordinary guys, not muscle-honed gym freaks, but good solid men with admirable qualities. The closeness of the friendship between the bi Vince and straight Griff is touching, just as is Zane's longing for Vince.This is a story about relationships and friendship, there is refreshingly little jumping in and out of bed, or at least not it the way one might expect! - and there are no quick solutions, the entire account centres on the understanding of the relationship between Vince and Griff and their growing realisation of what they mean to each other. The story builds steadily and unhurriedly towards its conclusion, but will Vince be able to get from Griff the relationship he craves? - whether he does or does not we do not discover until almost the very end - but whatever the outcome, you can be sure that it is fitting and fully satisfying.
review 2: This is the second book of the author that I have read (first being Porcupine City). After finishing the book, I felt the same way as I did with the other one, I just wish there was more! Cranberry Hush felt especially short, probably because it spanned just over a week? Nonetheless, I enjoyed every single page of it. Ben's books have a level of realism that I really enjoy. I think it stems from his very relatable characters. It was actually kind of freaky how much I could relate to the protagonist Vince. Then there's Griff, the imperfect and very confusing man who you can't help but love. The ending was not what I was expecting or hoping for, but it was perfect and very fitting to the story.If you've ever had the case of unrequited love, I highly recommend this book. It's not life changing or anything, but it did make me feel better about a boy in my past and I hope it can do the same for you.Ben, if you're reading this, thanks for your awesome books! I will definitely be reading Homo Action Love Story! next. less

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