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The Tin Box
William Lyon's past forced him to become someone he isn't. Conflicted and unable to maintain the charade, he separates from his wife and takes a job as caretaker at a former mental hospital. Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum was the largest mental hospital in California for well over a century, but it now stands empty. William thinks the decrepit institution is the perfect place to finish his dissertation and wait for his divorce to become final. In town, William meets Colby Anderson, who minds the local store and post office. Unlike William, Colby is cute, upbeat, and flamboyantly out. Although initially put off by Colby’s mannerisms, William comes to value their new friendship, and even accepts Colby's offer to ease him into the world of gay sex. William’s self-image begins to change when he discovers a tin box, hidden in an asylum wall since the 1940s. It contains letters secretly written by Bill, a patient who was sent to the asylum for being homosexual. The letters hit close to home, and William comes to care about Bill and his fate. With Colby’s help, he hopes the words written seventy years ago will give him courage to be his true self.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2013
27 people are currently reading
1362 people want to read
About the author
Kim Fielding
176 books1,306 followersKim Fielding lives in Oregon and travels as often as she can manage. A professor by day, at night she rushes into a phone booth to change into her author costume (which involves comfy clothes instead of Spandex and is, sadly, lacking a cape). Her superpowers include the ability to write nearly anywhere, often while simultaneously doling out assistance to her family. Her favorite word to describe herself is "eclectic" and she finally got that seventh tattoo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
August 19, 2014
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
I'm a self-centered person; books like this, and other things I see from time to time, remind me of this fact. Take my back for example - I'm 33, but I've got the back of a man in his late 90s. I complain about my back constantly; telling anyone who will listen all about the fact that I have to sleep on the floor sometimes when I throw my back out while bending over to tie my shoes, but then I get reminded that I'm a self-centered person when I see the short, yellow bus that picks up the little boy down the street; the little boy who will spend his life in a wheelchair; the little boy who always waves at me when I jog by his house. He's always got a big grin pasted on his face when he sees me running by on my two good legs. So... self-centered.
The Tin Box tells two stories. The main story is about William, a man who has finally decided to admit to himself that he's gay. William takes a job care-taking at an abandoned insane asylum.
William's history is brought out slowly and the reader learns just how far he was willing to go, and how far he was forced to go, to avoid being gay, but now that he's decided to face the truth, he tries to be open to the situation when he meets Colby, an out and proud man who works at the store where William does his shopping.
The second story concerns Bill, a long gone inmate of the asylum. Bill had been confined to the asylum when his family learned he was gay. Bill's story parallels William's and demonstrates how much, and how little, things have changed for people who don't love the way they're "supposed" to love.
I was not surprised to read about the horrible things that happened to Bill at the asylum. I've worked in psychiatry most of my adult life and I am well aware of the profession's sometimes brutal history. It's just that I don't think about these things often because... self-centered.
I felt so sorry for myself when I came out. My mom cried and my sister wrote me a nasty letter quoting bible verses and... that's it. That's all that happened to me. Nobody tried to lock me away. Nobody tried to force me into physically painful or soul-crushing "therapy."
Every minute some brave young man or woman comes out. Most of them are in for a rough time, but it's a rough time that is blessedly brief and then they get to live and love the way they're supposed to live and love... but there are still those who won't be that lucky. There are those who will be sent away to be "treated," which means shamed until they either run into the unknown or allow their spirits to break and agree to live a life that is nothing but a hopeless lie. Most of these people are like William in this book; they will get their happy ending, but they have to work for it far harder than they should have to work just to be happy.
There are also those who will be physically brutalized or even killed for the crime of being honest. It's unthinkable to me that love could equal death for anyone, but it's a sad truth.
I'm self-centered because I never think about these people. I'm too busy doing P90X so I can impress the guy I've got a crush on. I'm too busy writing my silly books that will hopefully make people smile and sell enough copies to finance my next vacation.
So... The Tin Box reminded me about how things used to be and how things still are for a lot of people. It reminded me that I'm a lucky man with a bad back whose mother worries about the fact that he doesn't have a boyfriend. That's right - she nags me for not having a BOYFRIEND.
I know I've gotten seriously off-track and I'm supposed to be writing about The Tin Box and not myself, so, I want everyone to read this book. It won't be easy, I cried a lot, but you won't regret reading it at all; it's wonderful and will stomp on your heart, but, if you're anything like me, your heart can handle some stomping and your brain can handle some reminding about how lucky most of us truly are in this life.
I'm a self-centered person; books like this, and other things I see from time to time, remind me of this fact. Take my back for example - I'm 33, but I've got the back of a man in his late 90s. I complain about my back constantly; telling anyone who will listen all about the fact that I have to sleep on the floor sometimes when I throw my back out while bending over to tie my shoes, but then I get reminded that I'm a self-centered person when I see the short, yellow bus that picks up the little boy down the street; the little boy who will spend his life in a wheelchair; the little boy who always waves at me when I jog by his house. He's always got a big grin pasted on his face when he sees me running by on my two good legs. So... self-centered.
The Tin Box tells two stories. The main story is about William, a man who has finally decided to admit to himself that he's gay. William takes a job care-taking at an abandoned insane asylum.
William's history is brought out slowly and the reader learns just how far he was willing to go, and how far he was forced to go, to avoid being gay, but now that he's decided to face the truth, he tries to be open to the situation when he meets Colby, an out and proud man who works at the store where William does his shopping.
The second story concerns Bill, a long gone inmate of the asylum. Bill had been confined to the asylum when his family learned he was gay. Bill's story parallels William's and demonstrates how much, and how little, things have changed for people who don't love the way they're "supposed" to love.
I was not surprised to read about the horrible things that happened to Bill at the asylum. I've worked in psychiatry most of my adult life and I am well aware of the profession's sometimes brutal history. It's just that I don't think about these things often because... self-centered.
I felt so sorry for myself when I came out. My mom cried and my sister wrote me a nasty letter quoting bible verses and... that's it. That's all that happened to me. Nobody tried to lock me away. Nobody tried to force me into physically painful or soul-crushing "therapy."
Every minute some brave young man or woman comes out. Most of them are in for a rough time, but it's a rough time that is blessedly brief and then they get to live and love the way they're supposed to live and love... but there are still those who won't be that lucky. There are those who will be sent away to be "treated," which means shamed until they either run into the unknown or allow their spirits to break and agree to live a life that is nothing but a hopeless lie. Most of these people are like William in this book; they will get their happy ending, but they have to work for it far harder than they should have to work just to be happy.
There are also those who will be physically brutalized or even killed for the crime of being honest. It's unthinkable to me that love could equal death for anyone, but it's a sad truth.
I'm self-centered because I never think about these people. I'm too busy doing P90X so I can impress the guy I've got a crush on. I'm too busy writing my silly books that will hopefully make people smile and sell enough copies to finance my next vacation.
So... The Tin Box reminded me about how things used to be and how things still are for a lot of people. It reminded me that I'm a lucky man with a bad back whose mother worries about the fact that he doesn't have a boyfriend. That's right - she nags me for not having a BOYFRIEND.
I know I've gotten seriously off-track and I'm supposed to be writing about The Tin Box and not myself, so, I want everyone to read this book. It won't be easy, I cried a lot, but you won't regret reading it at all; it's wonderful and will stomp on your heart, but, if you're anything like me, your heart can handle some stomping and your brain can handle some reminding about how lucky most of us truly are in this life.
April 17, 2014
4.5* heart wrenching stars
When I finished the last page of this book, I had to take a deep breath and attempted to get my wayward emotions under control.
This is a powerful story, it had me crying, angry, frustrated and mad. It also had me laughing and smiling and happy.
We meet William, a soon to be divorced 32 year old trying to finish his dissertation, since he has no place to live he takes the position of caretaker for an old Insane Asylum. The story is told from his POV.
To be honest I wasn't thrilled with William in the beginning of this story, but as it went on, I understood him so much better, understood why he was the way he was and admired the strength and courage it took to finally take control of his life.
“Unlike Colby Thomas Anderson, William Benjamin Lyon was a constructed creature, an identity based largely on who William thought he should be, who he had been coerced to be.”
Colby was easy to like, he was often what kept this story lighter and happier.
How can you not love a kid who does this : “When I was in kindergarten I used to accessorize my Transformers with rhinestones I stole from Grandma’s Bedazzler.”
Colby is such an upbeat and happy guy, he doesn't have the easiest life but he is who he is and he's happy with who he is : “Colby Thomas Anderson, JV’s resident queer. So I figured hey, I’m gonna be the most authentic fucking me I can be.”
He wears fun clothes, eyeliner and just seems to sparkle and lighten the story whenever he is in it.
One day William finds a small tin box and he slowly discovers the story of a patient in the asylum. Put there for being homosexual and made to suffer such sad and horrific 'treatments'. Although Bill tells his story in letters he was never able to send to his lover Johnny, he shares some of what he and the others there go through. It is amazing and horrifying and heart wrenching what was done to people, people with depression, PTSD, homosexuals..it made me more than sad, it made me sick.
Bill tells it in a very straightforward way, not trying to elicit sympathy, but I couldn't help but feel for all the people past and present who have experienced things like that in the name of 'treatment'.
“But if I were cured I would not love you any longer, would not long for your voice and your touch. And that is a loss I can bear much less than the loss of my freedom.”
William understands all too well, his parents tried to 'cure' him too.
I loved how he used Bill as a role model and guide, Bill didn't have choices, William does.
Colby and William are great together, Colby is good for William and maybe just maybe William can be what Colby needs too.
I don't really want to say any more, I want William and Bill to tell their story and hope that it touches everyone else the way it touched me.
ETA : Kim Fielding has pictures from the asylum she based this story on, for those interested in seeing it here's the link:
http://kfieldingwrites.blogspot.de/20...
When I finished the last page of this book, I had to take a deep breath and attempted to get my wayward emotions under control.
This is a powerful story, it had me crying, angry, frustrated and mad. It also had me laughing and smiling and happy.
We meet William, a soon to be divorced 32 year old trying to finish his dissertation, since he has no place to live he takes the position of caretaker for an old Insane Asylum. The story is told from his POV.
To be honest I wasn't thrilled with William in the beginning of this story, but as it went on, I understood him so much better, understood why he was the way he was and admired the strength and courage it took to finally take control of his life.
“Unlike Colby Thomas Anderson, William Benjamin Lyon was a constructed creature, an identity based largely on who William thought he should be, who he had been coerced to be.”
Colby was easy to like, he was often what kept this story lighter and happier.
How can you not love a kid who does this : “When I was in kindergarten I used to accessorize my Transformers with rhinestones I stole from Grandma’s Bedazzler.”
Colby is such an upbeat and happy guy, he doesn't have the easiest life but he is who he is and he's happy with who he is : “Colby Thomas Anderson, JV’s resident queer. So I figured hey, I’m gonna be the most authentic fucking me I can be.”
He wears fun clothes, eyeliner and just seems to sparkle and lighten the story whenever he is in it.
One day William finds a small tin box and he slowly discovers the story of a patient in the asylum. Put there for being homosexual and made to suffer such sad and horrific 'treatments'. Although Bill tells his story in letters he was never able to send to his lover Johnny, he shares some of what he and the others there go through. It is amazing and horrifying and heart wrenching what was done to people, people with depression, PTSD, homosexuals..it made me more than sad, it made me sick.
Bill tells it in a very straightforward way, not trying to elicit sympathy, but I couldn't help but feel for all the people past and present who have experienced things like that in the name of 'treatment'.
“But if I were cured I would not love you any longer, would not long for your voice and your touch. And that is a loss I can bear much less than the loss of my freedom.”
William understands all too well, his parents tried to 'cure' him too.
I loved how he used Bill as a role model and guide, Bill didn't have choices, William does.
Colby and William are great together, Colby is good for William and maybe just maybe William can be what Colby needs too.
I don't really want to say any more, I want William and Bill to tell their story and hope that it touches everyone else the way it touched me.
ETA : Kim Fielding has pictures from the asylum she based this story on, for those interested in seeing it here's the link:
http://kfieldingwrites.blogspot.de/20...
December 5, 2014
A good review, this is not going to be (Yoda speak much?).
The letters in this book are incredibly heartbreaking, the same way reading about concentration camps and genocide victims wreck me. However, MC's love story was light and quirky. It is an interesting juxtaposition and I'm not sure if it worked 100% of the time. However, I was still very moved by the overall story, the combined effect of the letters and William/Colby's relationship.
What can I say, I couldn't put it down.
The letters in this book are incredibly heartbreaking, the same way reading about concentration camps and genocide victims wreck me. However, MC's love story was light and quirky. It is an interesting juxtaposition and I'm not sure if it worked 100% of the time. However, I was still very moved by the overall story, the combined effect of the letters and William/Colby's relationship.
What can I say, I couldn't put it down.
January 9, 2016
Written September 8, 2015
4.7 Stars - Wow, this story got me. ★★★★★
A super great audio as well.
The Tin Box is one of these highrated M/M romance so many friends loves. A book I probably should had read the very first day I heard about it...if I always acted as a wise girl and listened to my nice friends recommendations. But better late than never. Or?
I loved it...
I have been totally engrossed in this amazing emotional story. It was fun, romantic and sweet too ... but I need time. Still breathless, speechless and there are so many emotions to process. I don't know if I can "handle" to write so much about this book but hopefully my five stars says a lot.
*********************************************************
The Tin Box is a romance with two strong love stories and three interesting characters. I really liked both these stories, felt for the storyline and plots, liked the narration and loved (LOVED) these wonderful characters.
First and mostly there is a present story about William Lyon who just separated from his wife and arrives in a California small town. He is there to complete his thesis and in the same time start a "job" as caretaker at a former, nowadays empty, mental hospital. Here is also the flamboyantly out, Colby Anderson, from the local store and post office, the man who changes much in William's (closeted straight) life.
William soon discovers a tin box hidden in the asylum wall since the 1940s. The letters in the box were secretly written by a homosexual patient 70 years ago. We get a heartbreaking gripping lovestory from past.
*********************************************************
There are so much to say but...
Soobing, gripping, enjoying, stunning good. My kind of favorite M/M romance. Will never ever forget these men. Bill's tale and his love for Johnny is simply unquestionably unforgettable.
I listened to the 7:26 hrs audiobook narrated in an excellent way by K.C. Kelly. Higly recommended listening!
I LIKE - yes, so very much
4.7 Stars - Wow, this story got me. ★★★★★
A super great audio as well.
The Tin Box is one of these highrated M/M romance so many friends loves. A book I probably should had read the very first day I heard about it...if I always acted as a wise girl and listened to my nice friends recommendations. But better late than never. Or?
I loved it...
I have been totally engrossed in this amazing emotional story. It was fun, romantic and sweet too ... but I need time. Still breathless, speechless and there are so many emotions to process. I don't know if I can "handle" to write so much about this book but hopefully my five stars says a lot.
*********************************************************
The Tin Box is a romance with two strong love stories and three interesting characters. I really liked both these stories, felt for the storyline and plots, liked the narration and loved (LOVED) these wonderful characters.
First and mostly there is a present story about William Lyon who just separated from his wife and arrives in a California small town. He is there to complete his thesis and in the same time start a "job" as caretaker at a former, nowadays empty, mental hospital. Here is also the flamboyantly out, Colby Anderson, from the local store and post office, the man who changes much in William's (closeted straight) life.
William soon discovers a tin box hidden in the asylum wall since the 1940s. The letters in the box were secretly written by a homosexual patient 70 years ago. We get a heartbreaking gripping lovestory from past.
*********************************************************
There are so much to say but...
Soobing, gripping, enjoying, stunning good. My kind of favorite M/M romance. Will never ever forget these men. Bill's tale and his love for Johnny is simply unquestionably unforgettable.
I listened to the 7:26 hrs audiobook narrated in an excellent way by K.C. Kelly. Higly recommended listening!
I LIKE - yes, so very much
January 15, 2014
I know what books like this will do to me. I know it and I still read them. I am going to promise myself though that I will not do extensive Googling about the treatment of homosexuality circa 1930/40 in insane asylums like I did after reading Hidden Away and spending hours learning and crying over the Pink Triangle Men that led to horrible nightmares for weeks. Hi, I am Sara. Did I mention I have OCD? Ugh.
The Tin Box was nothing like I expected it to be and that is one hell of a huge compliment. This story was sad, it was absolutely and utterly heart breaking but in its darkness there was so much light and beauty.
I don’t know how much I can get out in this review I am a still a bit of an emotional mess. What’s new, right?
So the story begins with William Lyon taking a job as a caretaker at the now closed and run down Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum. He will be staying there to finish his dissertation. William is a pretty solitary type of guy; on his way to being divorced from a woman as he is now ready to be the best homosexual he can be. Well, that’s a bit Brian Kinney of me to say but it fits. William takes a tour of the grounds, sees things that made him melancholy and me as well.
Sigh. That place; I expected to be spooky for some reason, some sort of Sessions 9 deal and although the “hospital” is a place where awful things took place, it’s just very sad. Really, really sad.
When William decides to leave the grounds and head into Jelley Valley or JV to the locals we get to meet the bright and adorably addictive Colby Anderson. I so loved the heck out of Colby. I knew from the minute William, or as Colby calls him, Will, sees Colby I would love him and my instincts were right. Colby is the perfect opposite for William though what lies at the core of each man is what draws them toward each other.
So, we have William at the hospital nosying around when he finds THE tin box, the box that contains letters of a patient/inmate named Bill…coincidence with the name or fate? I like to believe the latter. The letters Bill writes are simply heart breaking. He has been put there involuntarily by his family to be cured of being gay. Just the though of that, even in 1938 hurts me to read it but the letters are such a deep part of the story. Through Bills letters, William starts to see what he wants and needs in his life. Though the William goes through a tough time on his own, it’s nothing compared to what Bill goes through, what he documents through his letters.
Now the letters and the present day take you back and forth in a way that I liked, a lot. I loved that William would go about his daily life, see Colby at the store, take a few trips with him, have magical tamales and begin to settle in and then he would be drawn to the letters and let them, let Bills words take over. For me, that is what reading does. When I go about my daily life either at work or at home, picking up a book transports me. I can be in renaissance England, on a ranch, solving murders with hot FBI Agents or following Rent Boys activities with their clients. And when I put the book down either to for a break or I have finished, I am back to my reality. For William, those letters did that and he would have to come out of that world, that horror, the isolation and desperation and come back to the now. The letters are still a part of him, they stay with him, they change him and on some level help him make decisions and that is what good reading does, it stays with you and in some way becomes a part of you. You fall in love with the characters in the book through their story. You love them, hate the, laugh and cry with them. I not only fell for the story of William and Colby but I fell for Bill and his Johnny as well.
I loved the writing of Kim Fielding, this being my first book from her. I do not think the story could have been any better. It hurt me, but it made me laugh as well. I swooned, I giggled, I cried and I got really pissed off at times. Not by the actions of the author but at what ridiculous things people do, namely both of the William’s families. I cannot imagine ever treating my sons that way. Ever. Never. It’s just. NO!
So, yeah, this book? It was amazing. I will say that I loved it even though it was hard to read. The subject was hard to read…because things like that, treatment like that has happened. It makes me sick, it really does. But what I liked most about the story was where, why and how Colby and William find one another. To quote a cheesy and ridiculous pop song that I have only heard a handful of times but the line is fitting, they found love in a hopeless place. What a beautiful revelation, love between two men where ones were brought to be cured of the very same thing. Bravo for that. Well done.
The Tin Box was nothing like I expected it to be and that is one hell of a huge compliment. This story was sad, it was absolutely and utterly heart breaking but in its darkness there was so much light and beauty.
I don’t know how much I can get out in this review I am a still a bit of an emotional mess. What’s new, right?
So the story begins with William Lyon taking a job as a caretaker at the now closed and run down Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum. He will be staying there to finish his dissertation. William is a pretty solitary type of guy; on his way to being divorced from a woman as he is now ready to be the best homosexual he can be. Well, that’s a bit Brian Kinney of me to say but it fits. William takes a tour of the grounds, sees things that made him melancholy and me as well.
“What’s that?
“That’s the cemetery.”
“I don’t see any gravestones.”
“There aren’t any.”
Sigh. That place; I expected to be spooky for some reason, some sort of Sessions 9 deal and although the “hospital” is a place where awful things took place, it’s just very sad. Really, really sad.
When William decides to leave the grounds and head into Jelley Valley or JV to the locals we get to meet the bright and adorably addictive Colby Anderson. I so loved the heck out of Colby. I knew from the minute William, or as Colby calls him, Will, sees Colby I would love him and my instincts were right. Colby is the perfect opposite for William though what lies at the core of each man is what draws them toward each other.
So, we have William at the hospital nosying around when he finds THE tin box, the box that contains letters of a patient/inmate named Bill…coincidence with the name or fate? I like to believe the latter. The letters Bill writes are simply heart breaking. He has been put there involuntarily by his family to be cured of being gay. Just the though of that, even in 1938 hurts me to read it but the letters are such a deep part of the story. Through Bills letters, William starts to see what he wants and needs in his life. Though the William goes through a tough time on his own, it’s nothing compared to what Bill goes through, what he documents through his letters.
Now the letters and the present day take you back and forth in a way that I liked, a lot. I loved that William would go about his daily life, see Colby at the store, take a few trips with him, have magical tamales and begin to settle in and then he would be drawn to the letters and let them, let Bills words take over. For me, that is what reading does. When I go about my daily life either at work or at home, picking up a book transports me. I can be in renaissance England, on a ranch, solving murders with hot FBI Agents or following Rent Boys activities with their clients. And when I put the book down either to for a break or I have finished, I am back to my reality. For William, those letters did that and he would have to come out of that world, that horror, the isolation and desperation and come back to the now. The letters are still a part of him, they stay with him, they change him and on some level help him make decisions and that is what good reading does, it stays with you and in some way becomes a part of you. You fall in love with the characters in the book through their story. You love them, hate the, laugh and cry with them. I not only fell for the story of William and Colby but I fell for Bill and his Johnny as well.
I loved the writing of Kim Fielding, this being my first book from her. I do not think the story could have been any better. It hurt me, but it made me laugh as well. I swooned, I giggled, I cried and I got really pissed off at times. Not by the actions of the author but at what ridiculous things people do, namely both of the William’s families. I cannot imagine ever treating my sons that way. Ever. Never. It’s just. NO!
I can’t change who I love any more than I can make myself shorter. I can…I can stoop down. I can pretend to be short. But it’s a lie.
So, yeah, this book? It was amazing. I will say that I loved it even though it was hard to read. The subject was hard to read…because things like that, treatment like that has happened. It makes me sick, it really does. But what I liked most about the story was where, why and how Colby and William find one another. To quote a cheesy and ridiculous pop song that I have only heard a handful of times but the line is fitting, they found love in a hopeless place. What a beautiful revelation, love between two men where ones were brought to be cured of the very same thing. Bravo for that. Well done.
January 7, 2014
3.5 stars
Huh. Well, one thing I’m finding over and over again is…we’re all different. Right? I mean, you say potaytoe, I say potahtoe.
I was really concerned about reading this book. I’ve been on an anti-angst ride mostly all of 2013. But goals for 2014, while I’m still motivated enough to keep them, included branching out…and being brave. And this meant reading stuff that might destroy my heart. So, when I read everyone’s shelves for this book (yes, I read shelves before I read reviews. It helps me avoid spoilers.), I knew I was in for a tear-fest.
But imagine that…a couple almost-watery-eyed moments, but not one drop in sight. Which kinda confirms my theory: that even though I’m terrified of reading something that will break my heart…I may actually not have a heart to begin with! :)
That’s not to say that this book wasn’t good and that it wasn’t powerful at times. What this book actually was…was a bit schizophrenic?
We have a couple in contemporary times…William & Colby. And it’s a fun romantic tale of a divorced gay virgin and a flamboyant small-town local boy. The coupling is sweet and I, shockingly, didn’t find either of them annoying at all and really just…genuinely liked them. Yay.
William, while working on his dissertation, stays at an abandoned asylum (dude, you’re crazy…meaning not certifiably crazy but why-would-anyone-do-this crazy).
And then, there are these LETTERS. William finds a tin box filled with letters from Bill, a man institutionalized for being gay back in his time written to his love. The letters are at times beautiful, at times heartbreaking, at times made me feel completely hopeless and helpless, at times shocking, at times…so powerful, I had to put the kindle down to just breathe. And yes, they are emotional.
But it was hard…being affected by these letters on one page and then turning the next to the scene where Colby is wearing a “dance whore” shirt and prancing around in flip flops. I mean, I understand, I think, what the author is doing…showing we’ve come a long way maybe? To acceptance? But, I was diving deep into this sea of emotion and kinda slapped back into reality the next moment. It was frustrating at times.
I love what Kim Fielding was trying to do with this story. And I loved both sides to the tale. I just didn’t feel like they connected well enough. Thankfully, the end was a great wrap up and there was such a feeling of accomplishment with our MC’s…I was so happy for them.
All in all, I enjoyed this read a lot despite the minor whiplash.
November 10, 2014
BR with my Friends Isabel and Eva!
This story was so much more than I was expecting, and the whole book just ended up squeezing its way into my heart, I loved the characters, William and Colby , but what I loved more was Bill´s Letters ...
And all the flashbacks…
In a nutshell: it all just worked perfectly for me. I was completely hooked from start to finish, and gosh, the emotions... *sigh*
I definitely recommend giving this one a go! It was so very worth it for me. I just wish we'd have gotten more time with them in the end!
October 22, 2013
Thanks Kim Fielding for this wonderful book. I did my reasearch after reading this and I was really angry to learn that all of the procedures done to Bill are real and they did happen. And that being gay and in the old days could really earn you a spot in a mental institution. It made me realize how lucky I am that Im gay in this day an age. The last letter was especially difficult to read. I had to to take a break and hug my partner, I was so upset. huhu. :)
I love books like this where you get to see yourself in another person's life and then appreciate what you have right now. I could have been Bill, you know?
This might sound like a depressing story. but its not really. You'll know what I mean if you will read the book. I love Colby's character and William reminds me of myself, a total geek :) And there's a happy ending and a really great one. :)
Remember people, God is a being of love. He does not punish. He is not cruel. He loves the good the bad and the ugly in you. He does not see you as a man or woman, straight or gay. He sees you as being of light and love. He wants you to be happy and thats the ONLY thing he wants you to do.
Sorry, Im being emotional and preachy. This book has got me all riled up!
:)
I love books like this where you get to see yourself in another person's life and then appreciate what you have right now. I could have been Bill, you know?
This might sound like a depressing story. but its not really. You'll know what I mean if you will read the book. I love Colby's character and William reminds me of myself, a total geek :) And there's a happy ending and a really great one. :)
Remember people, God is a being of love. He does not punish. He is not cruel. He loves the good the bad and the ugly in you. He does not see you as a man or woman, straight or gay. He sees you as being of light and love. He wants you to be happy and thats the ONLY thing he wants you to do.
Sorry, Im being emotional and preachy. This book has got me all riled up!
:)
September 21, 2013
While working on his PhD dissertation Will acts as a caretaker at an old abandoned insane asylum. He finds a tin box filled with letters written by a man sent there by his family for being homosexual. Will reads the letters and begins a journey of discovery both for himself and for the writer.
This book and those letters devastated me. I needed the story of Will and Colby for a bit of lightness but also a story that was dramatic but not in the emotionally tearing way of the letters. Highly recommended, wonderfully written book.
This book and those letters devastated me. I needed the story of Will and Colby for a bit of lightness but also a story that was dramatic but not in the emotionally tearing way of the letters. Highly recommended, wonderfully written book.
September 14, 2015
4.5 stars
While the main story, set in the present, between William and Colby was a good tale of William's coming to terms with his long repressed sexuality with the help of the flamboyant Colby, it was the underlying tale told by letters from the 1930's that is the heart of this book.
William is acting as caretaker of a defunct asylum while working on his dissertation and finalizing his divorce when he finds a tin box of letters hidden in a wall. Written by Bill, a former inmate who was committed against his will for breaking sodomy laws, the letters to his lover are both beautiful in his unwavering love and loyalty, yet contain a harrowing tale of the "treatment" he received for his so-called sexual deviance. William is no stranger to reparative treatment and is immediately taken in by Bill's tale and, along with Colby's encouragement, begins to embrace the man he really is.
Both story lines are well written, but it is Bill's tale that will break your heart. I highly recommend this story and look forward to more from Kim Fielding.
While the main story, set in the present, between William and Colby was a good tale of William's coming to terms with his long repressed sexuality with the help of the flamboyant Colby, it was the underlying tale told by letters from the 1930's that is the heart of this book.
William is acting as caretaker of a defunct asylum while working on his dissertation and finalizing his divorce when he finds a tin box of letters hidden in a wall. Written by Bill, a former inmate who was committed against his will for breaking sodomy laws, the letters to his lover are both beautiful in his unwavering love and loyalty, yet contain a harrowing tale of the "treatment" he received for his so-called sexual deviance. William is no stranger to reparative treatment and is immediately taken in by Bill's tale and, along with Colby's encouragement, begins to embrace the man he really is.
Both story lines are well written, but it is Bill's tale that will break your heart. I highly recommend this story and look forward to more from Kim Fielding.
September 22, 2013
I was looking forward to this new book from Kim Fielding but I didn't expect to LOVE it as much as I did.
I have read almost everything of Kim's and I love her voice -- it's so effortlessly flowing and easy yet can often surprise me with a little extra jolt of humor or angst. But I particularly loved the plot and theme of this book. I've always sort of been fascinated by the old insane asylums and the horrible things done there by supposedly well-meaning doctors. It's strange to think that as recently as the 50's educated doctors were doing things like electro-shock therapy and lobotomies. The fact that these things were done not just to people with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia but those who didn't fit the societal norm like homosexuals is beyond tragic.
In this book, the author does a wonderful job of showcasing this topic without losing sight of a primary romance or becoming over angsty and dark. In the present day William, a deeply closeted man from a strict religious upbringing, becomes caretaker at an abandoned asylum. There, he finds an old tin box with letters from a patient who lived there in the 30's, also named William, who was committed for homosexuality and who wrote letters to his lover which were never sent. Through the letter-writer's descriptions of the events that happened to him, we learn about the treatments and conditions such patients had to endure. But the 1930's William's letters are still full of love and determination and hope. Though his story doesn't have a happy ending, his courage and the things he had deal with help current-day William realize he has the freedom to be gay and to let his own comparatively small problems hold him back is an insult to what men had to go through back then.
The romance itself involves a happily out-and-proud man, Colby, who lives in a nearby town. Thanks to the letters in the tin box, William finally gains the courage to admit to Colby that he's gay and to start a relationship with him. Colby was sweet and cute. The lack of communication in the last quarter of the book was a bit much -- I wanted to yell at William 'just go TELL him how you feel'. But I can understand that William was (rather annoyingly) shy and not necessarily an action-taker. The HEA resolution was very satisfying.
A big 5 stars from me. Thank you, Kim! I adored it.
I have read almost everything of Kim's and I love her voice -- it's so effortlessly flowing and easy yet can often surprise me with a little extra jolt of humor or angst. But I particularly loved the plot and theme of this book. I've always sort of been fascinated by the old insane asylums and the horrible things done there by supposedly well-meaning doctors. It's strange to think that as recently as the 50's educated doctors were doing things like electro-shock therapy and lobotomies. The fact that these things were done not just to people with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia but those who didn't fit the societal norm like homosexuals is beyond tragic.
In this book, the author does a wonderful job of showcasing this topic without losing sight of a primary romance or becoming over angsty and dark. In the present day William, a deeply closeted man from a strict religious upbringing, becomes caretaker at an abandoned asylum. There, he finds an old tin box with letters from a patient who lived there in the 30's, also named William, who was committed for homosexuality and who wrote letters to his lover which were never sent. Through the letter-writer's descriptions of the events that happened to him, we learn about the treatments and conditions such patients had to endure. But the 1930's William's letters are still full of love and determination and hope. Though his story doesn't have a happy ending, his courage and the things he had deal with help current-day William realize he has the freedom to be gay and to let his own comparatively small problems hold him back is an insult to what men had to go through back then.
The romance itself involves a happily out-and-proud man, Colby, who lives in a nearby town. Thanks to the letters in the tin box, William finally gains the courage to admit to Colby that he's gay and to start a relationship with him. Colby was sweet and cute. The lack of communication in the last quarter of the book was a bit much -- I wanted to yell at William 'just go TELL him how you feel'. But I can understand that William was (rather annoyingly) shy and not necessarily an action-taker. The HEA resolution was very satisfying.
A big 5 stars from me. Thank you, Kim! I adored it.
February 10, 2014
5 “you must read this” stars.
Ok this book completely devastated me, I just experienced a book that I will never forget. This story will forever be burned into my mind, never to get lost in the many many books that I will read after this one. I laid in my bed last night thinking about this book and the characters, the story replaying in my mind. This was amazing, heartbreaking, difficult at times, funny sometimes, sweet and made me so mad at times I wanted to hurt someone and finally scream “NO” at my kindle!!
This was a double whammy book, what I mean by that is there are two stories being told here. One is about William Lyons, grad student, soon to be divorced, abused, closed up, uptight and a very sweet soul. William needs finish his dissertation, so he decides to be the caretaker of an abandoned insane asylum. He needs someplace to live that’s quiet and figures this will be perfect. What he eventually finds hidden in a wall is a tin box filled with letters from a long time former patient “Bill”. These letters Bill wrote to his lover, knowing he would never get to read them. Through these letters we get a glimpse into his life, his feelings, fears and the horrific way he was treated simply because he was gay. These letters were difficult to read and completely broke my heart.
Thank god there is light and laughter and sweetness in this book as well. William goes exploring into the tiny town near the asylum and finds Colby. Colby is a sweet, charming, flamboyant, friendly to everyone. When Colby meets William he completely gets in his business and wants to be his friend. Slowly as their friendship grows Williams opens up, loosens up and starts to gain self confidence and self acceptance. It was inspiring and uplifting to see William find happiness.
There was so much to this story, I can’t begin to do it justice in my review. It devastated me, completely wrecked my heart, made me laugh, cry, sigh, swoon. In other words gave me exactly what i was looking for, a book that moved me, and found a permanent place in my heart.
Ok this book completely devastated me, I just experienced a book that I will never forget. This story will forever be burned into my mind, never to get lost in the many many books that I will read after this one. I laid in my bed last night thinking about this book and the characters, the story replaying in my mind. This was amazing, heartbreaking, difficult at times, funny sometimes, sweet and made me so mad at times I wanted to hurt someone and finally scream “NO” at my kindle!!
This was a double whammy book, what I mean by that is there are two stories being told here. One is about William Lyons, grad student, soon to be divorced, abused, closed up, uptight and a very sweet soul. William needs finish his dissertation, so he decides to be the caretaker of an abandoned insane asylum. He needs someplace to live that’s quiet and figures this will be perfect. What he eventually finds hidden in a wall is a tin box filled with letters from a long time former patient “Bill”. These letters Bill wrote to his lover, knowing he would never get to read them. Through these letters we get a glimpse into his life, his feelings, fears and the horrific way he was treated simply because he was gay. These letters were difficult to read and completely broke my heart.
Thank god there is light and laughter and sweetness in this book as well. William goes exploring into the tiny town near the asylum and finds Colby. Colby is a sweet, charming, flamboyant, friendly to everyone. When Colby meets William he completely gets in his business and wants to be his friend. Slowly as their friendship grows Williams opens up, loosens up and starts to gain self confidence and self acceptance. It was inspiring and uplifting to see William find happiness.
There was so much to this story, I can’t begin to do it justice in my review. It devastated me, completely wrecked my heart, made me laugh, cry, sigh, swoon. In other words gave me exactly what i was looking for, a book that moved me, and found a permanent place in my heart.
May 16, 2014
I have this book with me since its release month back in 2013. However, since I read few reviews that it would be tear-fest, I kept postponing. I wasn't ready to read something full of angst. Until now, since this was chosen for the M/M Buddy Read Central May 2014...
I ended up not shedding any tears though *oops*
I think I have the same situation as Susan . The letters written by Bill was difficult to read. They gave the emotional punch to this story and I felt hopeless when I read it. HOWEVER, since the next scene switched to current situation, with Will and Colby building their friendship, going to the gay-club, watching porn, etc, it just took me out of the angst context completely. So I never had the time to really mourn for Bill. Thus ... the dry eyes.
I felt quite distant from Will in the beginning, probably because he was written as a character that, well, had a stick out of his a**. But he grew out of it -- and I loved Colby's sunny disposition. The whole thing with Colby pushing Will away because he thought "Will should sample the wonderful life of being gay first before settling down" was kinda cliché read, and I wished Will would fight harder for it. The watching porn scenes wasn't my favorite either *shrugs*
However, in overall, despite my complains, I still loved this story. I personally enjoy a "self-journey" kind of theme and that is what happened to Will here, thus the 4-stars...
I ended up not shedding any tears though *oops*
I think I have the same situation as Susan . The letters written by Bill was difficult to read. They gave the emotional punch to this story and I felt hopeless when I read it. HOWEVER, since the next scene switched to current situation, with Will and Colby building their friendship, going to the gay-club, watching porn, etc, it just took me out of the angst context completely. So I never had the time to really mourn for Bill. Thus ... the dry eyes.
I felt quite distant from Will in the beginning, probably because he was written as a character that, well, had a stick out of his a**. But he grew out of it -- and I loved Colby's sunny disposition. The whole thing with Colby pushing Will away because he thought "Will should sample the wonderful life of being gay first before settling down" was kinda cliché read, and I wished Will would fight harder for it. The watching porn scenes wasn't my favorite either *shrugs*
However, in overall, despite my complains, I still loved this story. I personally enjoy a "self-journey" kind of theme and that is what happened to Will here, thus the 4-stars...
August 2, 2019
*SPOILER INSIDE*
Ho adorato Colby e ho adorato anche William. Per non parlare della storia di Bill.
Devo amettere che ho avuto un po' di difficoltà ad immaginare i cappelli di Colby. Quelli iniziali quando si incontrano considerando che ho avuto modo di leggerne la descrizione anche in inglese. (In quel punto manca un pezzetto o è stato abbreviato per una traduzione più liberale ma non mi sento di condannare la cosa. Oppure è per via della marca con cui sono citati gli assorbenti. Ho dovuto chiedere pure agli amici americani che erano perchè non sono nostre marche e forse c'è lo stesso problema in Italia del motivo per cui non è mai stato tradotto Capitan Tsubasa Road to 2002. I diritti sulle marche. È una teoria anche se poi nei libri usiamo Kleenex invece di fazzoletto che è un'altra marca. In sostanza è che non voglio condannare tanto il succo è che la bottega vende di tutto).
I personaggi sia William che Colby sono ben caratterizzati e la storia di Bill è davvero toccante. Sapevo un po' di queste cose ma non sapevo dell'uso dell'insulina.
Il mio voto finale è 5☆ senza ombra di dubbio. Kim Fielding è fantastica.
Ho adorato Colby e ho adorato anche William. Per non parlare della storia di Bill.
Devo amettere che ho avuto un po' di difficoltà ad immaginare i cappelli di Colby. Quelli iniziali quando si incontrano considerando che ho avuto modo di leggerne la descrizione anche in inglese. (In quel punto manca un pezzetto o è stato abbreviato per una traduzione più liberale ma non mi sento di condannare la cosa. Oppure è per via della marca con cui sono citati gli assorbenti. Ho dovuto chiedere pure agli amici americani che erano perchè non sono nostre marche e forse c'è lo stesso problema in Italia del motivo per cui non è mai stato tradotto Capitan Tsubasa Road to 2002. I diritti sulle marche. È una teoria anche se poi nei libri usiamo Kleenex invece di fazzoletto che è un'altra marca. In sostanza è che non voglio condannare tanto il succo è che la bottega vende di tutto).
I personaggi sia William che Colby sono ben caratterizzati e la storia di Bill è davvero toccante. Sapevo un po' di queste cose ma non sapevo dell'uso dell'insulina.
Il mio voto finale è 5☆ senza ombra di dubbio. Kim Fielding è fantastica.
March 16, 2014
4.5 stars
Another winner from one of my favorite authors.
After stumbling upon this book through my GR friends' fabulous reviews, I just had to read it right away and I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed.
The book tells the story of William Lyons, a thirty-two year old man fresh from a failed marriage and trying to support his dissertation by accepting a job as a caretaker for an abandoned asylum. Upon accidentally uncovering an old tin box containing letters written by a patient during the 30's, William unintentionally starts his own road to self discovery. With the help of local grocer and "Assistant post-master" Colby Anderson, William tries to piece together a decades old story of a gay man while slowly finding his own self-worth and the happy life he deserves.
The story is written in the first person and is quite slow during the first few chapters. The setting is quite melancholic and seemingly boring but as soon as Colby comes forth, he breathes life into the story which is why he is easily my favorite characters in the book. His sunny disposition and carefree attitude becomes the balm to the sad parts of the book which would've overwhelmed me. The plot is quite simple and has been tried before but the character development and the way the setting starts to grow on you until you finally end up falling in love with it just reflects how much the author cares for her characters.
Truly a wonderful read and a highly recommended book.
Another winner from one of my favorite authors.
After stumbling upon this book through my GR friends' fabulous reviews, I just had to read it right away and I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed.
The book tells the story of William Lyons, a thirty-two year old man fresh from a failed marriage and trying to support his dissertation by accepting a job as a caretaker for an abandoned asylum. Upon accidentally uncovering an old tin box containing letters written by a patient during the 30's, William unintentionally starts his own road to self discovery. With the help of local grocer and "Assistant post-master" Colby Anderson, William tries to piece together a decades old story of a gay man while slowly finding his own self-worth and the happy life he deserves.
The story is written in the first person and is quite slow during the first few chapters. The setting is quite melancholic and seemingly boring but as soon as Colby comes forth, he breathes life into the story which is why he is easily my favorite characters in the book. His sunny disposition and carefree attitude becomes the balm to the sad parts of the book which would've overwhelmed me. The plot is quite simple and has been tried before but the character development and the way the setting starts to grow on you until you finally end up falling in love with it just reflects how much the author cares for her characters.
Truly a wonderful read and a highly recommended book.
September 14, 2014
Rounded up to 3 stars.
The only reason why I kept on reading were the LETTERS.
And it was the most tragic, the most beautiful, the most heart-wrenching, the most powerful part of the book.
But one after another.
The Tin Box consists of two stories that don't connect with each other. At first sight.
The William Lyon's story and the story of William Wright, Bill.
When fresh divorced William Lyon, a graduate student, accepted a job as a caretaker at a former mental hospital, Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum, in a tiny province town while working on his psych dissertation, he couldn't even imagine how this temporary job would change his life.
And that is the FIRST or better to say the NOW-story, that is told from the William's view. And then there is the second story, the one that we know from the letters that William found in a tin box hidden in the asylum. They are the love letters that a gay guy who was arrested and charged with sodomy at the end of 30s and the beginning of the 40s wrote to his love Johnny from the mental hospital. They are the most powerful and the most tragic evidence of that time. Reading and realizing what a person had to come through, what for barbarous treatments and tests he had to overcome with the only one aim-to be cured from be homosexual-only because he rejected to admit that he didn't feel and didn't love any more, only because he just wanted to be himself....there are no words to describe my feelings...
EVERY SINGLE LETTER broke my heart, EVERY SINGLE LINE in every letter broke my heart. I think I have never felt myself such helpless, such weak, such furious and angry BECAUSE I couldn't change the past. Because we couldn't change the past. But we can and we must be able to change the NOW. And there are a lot yet to do on this field.
It is this powerful message that the book gives us.
I can understand what the author wanted to achieve with this book.
And I appreciate the idea. But unfortunately the performance of the main story was - for me - very bad. And even more, the combination of these two stories forced the amazing letter's story to lose its power because the main story was far bellow the emotional level of the story told in the letters.
Can you imagine a former concentration camp in the middle of a Disneyland?
Can you imagine to lay down some flowers in memory of the past between riding the different roller coasters?
I just couldn't switch from one William, the unappealing one, to Bill. I was crying reading the letters and I'm crying now, writing my review, because...of Bill and his letters.
It is why I don't want to talk about William Lyon and his sweet lover Colby. I don't feel any connection to them, I don't feel any sexual or whatever tension between them. And as I've already mentioned, I would have never finished this book if there weren't...the LETTERS.
To know more about my thoughts, read
Jenn's review(my favourite),
Maya's review,
and Susan's review.
October 21, 2013
It's official: Kim Fielding is one of my favorite authors.
Her writing is smooth, easy to follow and engaging. Of the three books I've read by her so far, I've not once wanted to skim or skip ahead, and that means a lot to me these days. (In case you're interested, my love affair with her writing began with the shifter/paranormal series Good Bones; it was excellent.)
This was my first contemporary by her, and she's nailed it again. Her MCs are complicated and smart. The supporting casts are always funny and loyal. The settings are interesting. And, importantly, the sexy time is, well, sexy.
But I digress: let's get to the story!
The Tin Box is set in modern times. William/Will is recently divorced after living his formative years as a straight man. He always knew he was gay but didn't have the familial/social reinforcement to be himself. Suffice it to say he’s lost when he comes to the town of Jelley's Valley to serve as the caretaker at an abandoned asylum. It's there, in Jelley's Valley, that Will meets Colby, out and proud. During this time, Will finds a hidden box (er, a TIN box...) of letters. They're written by a gay man living in another time period, and the letters detail the abuse and torture the man faced during his time at the asylum.
The Tin Box is a touching, sweet and sometimes sad story. It's a rich tale about coming to terms with who you are and learning to accept and seek out the support and love of others as you walk your journey through life, and I just loved that theme.
The ending felt rushed in my opinion; I would have liked for Will to explore himself a little more. It could have possibly been stretched out to two books, even. But it still worked, and I LOVED the story's epilogue.
Overall, this is a great book, and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys m/m and likes an engaging, original story with a heart-squeezing HEA.
Her writing is smooth, easy to follow and engaging. Of the three books I've read by her so far, I've not once wanted to skim or skip ahead, and that means a lot to me these days. (In case you're interested, my love affair with her writing began with the shifter/paranormal series Good Bones; it was excellent.)
This was my first contemporary by her, and she's nailed it again. Her MCs are complicated and smart. The supporting casts are always funny and loyal. The settings are interesting. And, importantly, the sexy time is, well, sexy.
But I digress: let's get to the story!
The Tin Box is set in modern times. William/Will is recently divorced after living his formative years as a straight man. He always knew he was gay but didn't have the familial/social reinforcement to be himself. Suffice it to say he’s lost when he comes to the town of Jelley's Valley to serve as the caretaker at an abandoned asylum. It's there, in Jelley's Valley, that Will meets Colby, out and proud. During this time, Will finds a hidden box (er, a TIN box...) of letters. They're written by a gay man living in another time period, and the letters detail the abuse and torture the man faced during his time at the asylum.
The Tin Box is a touching, sweet and sometimes sad story. It's a rich tale about coming to terms with who you are and learning to accept and seek out the support and love of others as you walk your journey through life, and I just loved that theme.
The ending felt rushed in my opinion; I would have liked for Will to explore himself a little more. It could have possibly been stretched out to two books, even. But it still worked, and I LOVED the story's epilogue.
Overall, this is a great book, and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys m/m and likes an engaging, original story with a heart-squeezing HEA.
August 11, 2016
What a wonderful book.
Will and Colby’s story is refreshing and believable. Before starting this read, I was stuck in a reading slump: reading about two guys who are neither hot gay cops nor twinky shy damsels in distress* was a real shot in the arm. As Mishyio wrote, Colby is a ray of sunshine . He’s flamboyant, out and proud but at the same time lonely and scared. One of the best MM characters I’ve come across lately. And you won't find the one-two-three fingers here, just two everyday guys having funny clumsy playful sex togheter.
On the other side Bill’s letters were heartbreaking and moving. It's important that the topic of treating homosexuality as a disease to be cured (and more in general the atrocities committed in the name of science) is never forgotten and the author should be highly praised for it.
Highly recommended.
*Disclaimer: I do not have nothing against hot gay cops!!
September 23, 2013
2.5 stars
William Lyon is a 32 year old facing a divorce from his wife of six years, and looking forward to moving on, starting over, and finishing his dissertation in peace. The opportunity arises for him to become a caretaker for the abandoned Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum in a very small town in California where everyone seems to be related to each other or at the very least knows everyone’s business. William takes the chance, and settles into the quiet asylum that holds tales of so many people’s lives over the years. In town, he meets the vibrant, ever cheerful Colby Anderson, who manages to have William confront things about himself he’s long tried to bury. During his stay, William also finds a tiny tin box hidden within the asylum since the 1940s that contains numerous love letters and journals from a man scared, determined, wishful, and desperate to be himself and with who he loves.
This book was really frustrating to me, and I realize that much of my problems are my issues, and not necessarily the book. However, it felt at times like the writing came from two entirely different writers, and the two styles didn’t mesh well for me. I realize people spoke and wrote differently many decades ago and that there needed to feel a difference between the Bill from 1938 to William in present day, but William’s voice felt very amateurish to me. He didn’t really feel like a mature adult, his thoughts felt jilted, and I felt like we got almost like a play script with stage left-type sentences. Page after page the reader got lengthy descriptions of every single item he prepared and ate, every pace he took throughout the asylum, how many hours he worked on his dissertation, and what he was thinking about Colby or anything else. His parts dragged for me, immensely. Also, I can’t place exactly what felt off about his coming to terms with his sexuality, family, and religion, but it was lacking depth for me regardless. I couldn’t feel any sort of sympathy for him, didn’t relate to him, and I felt very distanced from him as a character.
While I liked Colby fine, again, everything about him seemed very surface aspects. I know he smiles a lot, I know he frowns rarely, I know he dresses in too tight clothing, everyone knows he’s gay, and he’s a bit scared of getting hurt. But other than that?? Ehhhh… If you combine what I know about him and the distance I was already feeling towards William, I’m left with a couple I don’t really care about at all. Also, I’m not a prude, and I’ve been in all kinds of different situations with people and partners, but the porn watching scene that turned naughty in real life felt so clichéd, so awkward, so unsexy that I literally scooted back from my laptop and cringed.
But then there were the great parts in this book. The letters from Bill in the late 1930’s till the 1940s to his love, Johnny. Those broke my heart. Those letters held so much desperate hope, such strong determination weakening little by little (but not without a fight), such sadness that he tried to bring humor to, and so much love. I wanted the ENTIRE book to be about them. I wanted a happy ending for them both. I wanted to read their backstory, and to read what happened in that asylum during that time period. To read about the soldiers, the others suffering from a form of mental illness, and those perfectly sane, but judged because of who they loved. All of it. Every bit of it read beautifully. Those parts and the character Bill made this likable, but otherwise this was just an OK read for me.
Recommended for the beautiful prose in the letters, the discrimination and pain discussed even just a few short decades ago, how that in many ways hasn’t diminished for some people, how people still struggle with who they are, and for some light-hearted moments. I wish the rest of the book and characters lived up to those moments.
William Lyon is a 32 year old facing a divorce from his wife of six years, and looking forward to moving on, starting over, and finishing his dissertation in peace. The opportunity arises for him to become a caretaker for the abandoned Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum in a very small town in California where everyone seems to be related to each other or at the very least knows everyone’s business. William takes the chance, and settles into the quiet asylum that holds tales of so many people’s lives over the years. In town, he meets the vibrant, ever cheerful Colby Anderson, who manages to have William confront things about himself he’s long tried to bury. During his stay, William also finds a tiny tin box hidden within the asylum since the 1940s that contains numerous love letters and journals from a man scared, determined, wishful, and desperate to be himself and with who he loves.
This book was really frustrating to me, and I realize that much of my problems are my issues, and not necessarily the book. However, it felt at times like the writing came from two entirely different writers, and the two styles didn’t mesh well for me. I realize people spoke and wrote differently many decades ago and that there needed to feel a difference between the Bill from 1938 to William in present day, but William’s voice felt very amateurish to me. He didn’t really feel like a mature adult, his thoughts felt jilted, and I felt like we got almost like a play script with stage left-type sentences. Page after page the reader got lengthy descriptions of every single item he prepared and ate, every pace he took throughout the asylum, how many hours he worked on his dissertation, and what he was thinking about Colby or anything else. His parts dragged for me, immensely. Also, I can’t place exactly what felt off about his coming to terms with his sexuality, family, and religion, but it was lacking depth for me regardless. I couldn’t feel any sort of sympathy for him, didn’t relate to him, and I felt very distanced from him as a character.
While I liked Colby fine, again, everything about him seemed very surface aspects. I know he smiles a lot, I know he frowns rarely, I know he dresses in too tight clothing, everyone knows he’s gay, and he’s a bit scared of getting hurt. But other than that?? Ehhhh… If you combine what I know about him and the distance I was already feeling towards William, I’m left with a couple I don’t really care about at all. Also, I’m not a prude, and I’ve been in all kinds of different situations with people and partners, but the porn watching scene that turned naughty in real life felt so clichéd, so awkward, so unsexy that I literally scooted back from my laptop and cringed.
But then there were the great parts in this book. The letters from Bill in the late 1930’s till the 1940s to his love, Johnny. Those broke my heart. Those letters held so much desperate hope, such strong determination weakening little by little (but not without a fight), such sadness that he tried to bring humor to, and so much love. I wanted the ENTIRE book to be about them. I wanted a happy ending for them both. I wanted to read their backstory, and to read what happened in that asylum during that time period. To read about the soldiers, the others suffering from a form of mental illness, and those perfectly sane, but judged because of who they loved. All of it. Every bit of it read beautifully. Those parts and the character Bill made this likable, but otherwise this was just an OK read for me.
Recommended for the beautiful prose in the letters, the discrimination and pain discussed even just a few short decades ago, how that in many ways hasn’t diminished for some people, how people still struggle with who they are, and for some light-hearted moments. I wish the rest of the book and characters lived up to those moments.
September 18, 2013
I am swimming in all the feels after reading this book. Such an important story to tell, and so masterfully executed. (And I do not use that word lightly). I may have to add to this review in a few days, but I feel it's important to get this up there at once.
We need to remember (or get to know) where we come from, what was done to some of us, only so few decades ago. And what is currently still happening in many countries in the world.
I took a hit in the solar plexus with this one. It has great, great power, there is meaning in every sentence.
This story is heavy, but at the same time, it gets a lighter feel thanks to the absolutely lovable MCs that inhabit it. Yes, I am especially thinking of Colby, this wonderful young man who walked straight into my heart and just squatted there. (He's still in there, no way to get rid of him). William broke my heart in fifteen pieces, and without Colby, I don't think I could have gone through with his story.
And then. And then. Then, there is Bill. From so many years ago. The never give up, they have to break me first man.
Yeah. He broke me in the most utter and final way. You beautiful, beautiful man.
Fantastic writing; Kim Fielding does not disappoint.
I have had to look up more words than usual, and I loved every second of it. I am happy to learn new things and words are my favorite things in the whole world.
This story had more of them than usual, and put together in such a fantastic way. Fantastic.
Read this book. You will be a bigger person for having seen this story unfold in front of your eyes.
***
I received a free ARC of this book before publication. A positive review was neither expected nor ever promised in return.
Publication date is September 20th, 2013.
We need to remember (or get to know) where we come from, what was done to some of us, only so few decades ago. And what is currently still happening in many countries in the world.
I took a hit in the solar plexus with this one. It has great, great power, there is meaning in every sentence.
This story is heavy, but at the same time, it gets a lighter feel thanks to the absolutely lovable MCs that inhabit it. Yes, I am especially thinking of Colby, this wonderful young man who walked straight into my heart and just squatted there. (He's still in there, no way to get rid of him). William broke my heart in fifteen pieces, and without Colby, I don't think I could have gone through with his story.
And then. And then. Then, there is Bill. From so many years ago. The never give up, they have to break me first man.
Yeah. He broke me in the most utter and final way. You beautiful, beautiful man.
Fantastic writing; Kim Fielding does not disappoint.
I have had to look up more words than usual, and I loved every second of it. I am happy to learn new things and words are my favorite things in the whole world.
This story had more of them than usual, and put together in such a fantastic way. Fantastic.
Read this book. You will be a bigger person for having seen this story unfold in front of your eyes.
***
I received a free ARC of this book before publication. A positive review was neither expected nor ever promised in return.
Publication date is September 20th, 2013.
November 9, 2014
I have some conflicted feelings about this book. Conflicted because in this book there are two stories, one that I loved immensely and another that I didn't love that much. First I want to talk about the one that is not my favorite: the story of William and Colby. I love colorful Colby. He is the light in this book, he is funny and laid back. William is the opposite, and he is the reason why I didn't like this part so much. He's a boring person and I couldn't feel any connection with this character. Yes, he had reasons to be shy and to don't trust easily... but please, this book is written in his POV, and because of that, it would be so much better if he had a different personality, one that wouldn't make me want to skip some pages... He could enjoy music, he could have interesting conversations... he could be a more interesting character, and only close to the end, he showed a more relaxed man, in the company of Colby, always full of joy!
William found a box, with letters... and those letters were the best of this book. They were written by Bill, a man convicted to that asylum because he was gay. He wrote those letters to his lover, and he tells how much he loves him, how much he misses him, and disturbingly, he tells the love of his life all the horrors that were inflicted to him...
BR with my friends!
William found a box, with letters... and those letters were the best of this book. They were written by Bill, a man convicted to that asylum because he was gay. He wrote those letters to his lover, and he tells how much he loves him, how much he misses him, and disturbingly, he tells the love of his life all the horrors that were inflicted to him...
BR with my friends!
July 7, 2014
To some extent, each book you read leaves its mark on you. Well, good books certainly do. As a reader, every once in a while, you come across a book which moves you completely, shatters your world, makes you question humanity and may even change you in a way. To me, The Tin Box is one such book. It is the kind of book which makes me incredibly grateful to have a passion for reading and it is a book I will not forget soon, maybe ever.
When I read the blurb for The Tin Box, I knew right away that I would love it. I mean, it contains some things I really enjoy...
Abandoned insane asylum - check
Incredible MCs - check
Letters from the past - check
Interesting plot - check
Great writing - check
So, yeah, I expected it to be good. But man, I wasn't expecting this. It completely blew me away. This book played with my emotions, made me laugh, cry and even loathe my status as a human being at times, because of the cruelty thrust upon people who didn't deserve to be treated like that. What's more, I'm quite aware of the fact that most of the treatments discussed are or were real. My fingers are itching to do more research on the subject, but I think I need to wait a while before I do that.
This story was sad, dark and utterly heartbreaking. But in spite of all that, it portrayed beauty, the gift of second chances and hope. Kim Fielding managed to masterfully combine all of these factors and created an AMAZING story of loss, struggle, pain, new beginnings, love, happiness and ultimately, redemption (in a non-religious way).
Warning: The next part of the review is pretty spoilerish, so read at your own risk.
William Lyon is a man who has lived his life in fear. His parents are the religious-driven type and when he was young, he confessed to being attracted to men, which has led to William being forced to go through therapy and various type of treatment meant to cure him. Of course, being made to think his urges were a sin has only lead to William being a thirty-something repressed adult. He has married a woman, played the role of the heterosexual husband for 6 years, but when things weren't working out, he came clean to his wife and she asked for a divorce.
Shortly after, William accepts the job as a caretaker at the Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum. He plans to write his dissertation there and is looking forward to a summer spent in solitude and peace. Strange enough, the mental asylum is not all that creepy, being rather incredibly sad. One day, while William is exploring the massive building, he goes into the room next to his apartment. That's where he finds the tin box, hidden into the wall, and he reluctantly opens it, only to find letters written by a former patient.
At the beginning of 1938, Bill has been admitted to the mental institution by his parents, the reason being to cure him of homosexuality. The letters are written to his lover, Johnny, and have, of course, never been sent. Every single word the man wrote pulled at my heartstrings. And his last letter pretty much ripped my heart out and made me SO angry. The procedures Bill had been suffering from were inhumane and they made me sick. These letters are what help William realize how lucky he is to be able to get a second chance, discover who he really is and live his life according to his wishes. They give him courage.
The first time William goes into the town of Jelley's Valley, he stops at the local store, where he meets Colby. Oh, how I loved that guy; he just lighted up this entire book. Colby Anderson is a local who's cheerful, easy-going, funny, true to himself, out, proud and flamboyant. He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him and he makes it his duty to introduce Will to the wonderful world of gay sex. His ultimate goal, though, is to help William figure out what he wants in life. Honestly, I fell in love with Colby since the very first word he uttered and I admired his optimism, which he stuck to despite having had a difficult life. He was just fabulous!
All in all, The Tin Box offered a fantastic reading experience. It deeply moved me and I strongly recommend it to everyone!
Some of my favorite quotes:
–––––
ETA: Kim Fielding has posted some photos of the asylum which inspired the one in the book. Here's a link to her blog post...
http://kfieldingwrites.blogspot.de/20...
When I read the blurb for The Tin Box, I knew right away that I would love it. I mean, it contains some things I really enjoy...
Abandoned insane asylum - check
Incredible MCs - check
Letters from the past - check
Interesting plot - check
Great writing - check
So, yeah, I expected it to be good. But man, I wasn't expecting this. It completely blew me away. This book played with my emotions, made me laugh, cry and even loathe my status as a human being at times, because of the cruelty thrust upon people who didn't deserve to be treated like that. What's more, I'm quite aware of the fact that most of the treatments discussed are or were real. My fingers are itching to do more research on the subject, but I think I need to wait a while before I do that.
This story was sad, dark and utterly heartbreaking. But in spite of all that, it portrayed beauty, the gift of second chances and hope. Kim Fielding managed to masterfully combine all of these factors and created an AMAZING story of loss, struggle, pain, new beginnings, love, happiness and ultimately, redemption (in a non-religious way).
Warning: The next part of the review is pretty spoilerish, so read at your own risk.
William Lyon is a man who has lived his life in fear. His parents are the religious-driven type and when he was young, he confessed to being attracted to men, which has led to William being forced to go through therapy and various type of treatment meant to cure him. Of course, being made to think his urges were a sin has only lead to William being a thirty-something repressed adult. He has married a woman, played the role of the heterosexual husband for 6 years, but when things weren't working out, he came clean to his wife and she asked for a divorce.
Shortly after, William accepts the job as a caretaker at the Jelley’s Valley State Insane Asylum. He plans to write his dissertation there and is looking forward to a summer spent in solitude and peace. Strange enough, the mental asylum is not all that creepy, being rather incredibly sad. One day, while William is exploring the massive building, he goes into the room next to his apartment. That's where he finds the tin box, hidden into the wall, and he reluctantly opens it, only to find letters written by a former patient.
At the beginning of 1938, Bill has been admitted to the mental institution by his parents, the reason being to cure him of homosexuality. The letters are written to his lover, Johnny, and have, of course, never been sent. Every single word the man wrote pulled at my heartstrings. And his last letter pretty much ripped my heart out and made me SO angry. The procedures Bill had been suffering from were inhumane and they made me sick. These letters are what help William realize how lucky he is to be able to get a second chance, discover who he really is and live his life according to his wishes. They give him courage.
The first time William goes into the town of Jelley's Valley, he stops at the local store, where he meets Colby. Oh, how I loved that guy; he just lighted up this entire book. Colby Anderson is a local who's cheerful, easy-going, funny, true to himself, out, proud and flamboyant. He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him and he makes it his duty to introduce Will to the wonderful world of gay sex. His ultimate goal, though, is to help William figure out what he wants in life. Honestly, I fell in love with Colby since the very first word he uttered and I admired his optimism, which he stuck to despite having had a difficult life. He was just fabulous!
All in all, The Tin Box offered a fantastic reading experience. It deeply moved me and I strongly recommend it to everyone!
Some of my favorite quotes:
–––––
ETA: Kim Fielding has posted some photos of the asylum which inspired the one in the book. Here's a link to her blog post...
http://kfieldingwrites.blogspot.de/20...
December 18, 2018
3.5 stars
Wow, that was maudlin.
Appropriately so, given the subject matter, but...damn, that was maudlin.
I gotta say, I didn't care much about the romance in this one. Not that Colby wasn't sweet - if on the flighty side - but this really was more about Will accepting himself as a gay man after spending the last 33 years of his life trying to pray the gay away, even going so far as to marry a woman he's now divorcing. He's having to do all the self-discovery stuff most people do in their teens and twenties, and he doesn't even know the first thing about gay sex. Colby takes him under his wing, literally being his wing man as well as his friend as Will figures himself out.
But it's Will's discovery of a tin lunch box hidden in one of the cells of an abandoned mental institution that really helps him with his journey. Will's working as a caretaker for the abandoned hospital while he works on his college dissertation, and he finds letters that the patient, coincidentally named Bill, wrote to his lover John. Obviously, John never got said letters but Will slowly reads through them and discovers the strength and desperation of this one-time patient as Bill was forced to endure one "cure" after another for his homosexuality, at that time considered a mental illness. Some of the details are not easy to hear and learning Bill's ultimate fate is enraging, so you've been warned, but the way Will decides to honor Bill's life and legacy is indeed touching.
It took me quite awhile to get into the audiobook. The narrator, KC Kelly, has a pleasant enough voice and speaks clearly, but I wasn't quite feeling his voice at first, and he doesn't have a lot of range with the voices. Still, it did grow on me by the end.
Wow, that was maudlin.
Appropriately so, given the subject matter, but...damn, that was maudlin.
I gotta say, I didn't care much about the romance in this one. Not that Colby wasn't sweet - if on the flighty side - but this really was more about Will accepting himself as a gay man after spending the last 33 years of his life trying to pray the gay away, even going so far as to marry a woman he's now divorcing. He's having to do all the self-discovery stuff most people do in their teens and twenties, and he doesn't even know the first thing about gay sex. Colby takes him under his wing, literally being his wing man as well as his friend as Will figures himself out.
But it's Will's discovery of a tin lunch box hidden in one of the cells of an abandoned mental institution that really helps him with his journey. Will's working as a caretaker for the abandoned hospital while he works on his college dissertation, and he finds letters that the patient, coincidentally named Bill, wrote to his lover John. Obviously, John never got said letters but Will slowly reads through them and discovers the strength and desperation of this one-time patient as Bill was forced to endure one "cure" after another for his homosexuality, at that time considered a mental illness. Some of the details are not easy to hear and learning Bill's ultimate fate is enraging, so you've been warned, but the way Will decides to honor Bill's life and legacy is indeed touching.
It took me quite awhile to get into the audiobook. The narrator, KC Kelly, has a pleasant enough voice and speaks clearly, but I wasn't quite feeling his voice at first, and he doesn't have a lot of range with the voices. Still, it did grow on me by the end.
December 11, 2013
4.25 High Emotional Stars
Which I really loved of this book was the part of the tin box letters, even if they tore me to pieces. Bill's history is sad, painful and so unfair, that I didn't wanted to believe what I was reading, even if the worst is knowing that this things really happened.
"Gay people are supposed to do whatever
the fuck feels right to them, just like straight
people! If you wanna get married and have
kids, great. If you wanna screw everything on
two legs, just make sure you're safe. If you
wanna wear a pink tutu, vote Republican, and
drive around in a Mack truck, that's your own
damn business!" His voice had risen, but now
he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I get carried
away."
Which I really loved of this book was the part of the tin box letters, even if they tore me to pieces. Bill's history is sad, painful and so unfair, that I didn't wanted to believe what I was reading, even if the worst is knowing that this things really happened.
"Gay people are supposed to do whatever
the fuck feels right to them, just like straight
people! If you wanna get married and have
kids, great. If you wanna screw everything on
two legs, just make sure you're safe. If you
wanna wear a pink tutu, vote Republican, and
drive around in a Mack truck, that's your own
damn business!" His voice had risen, but now
he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I get carried
away."
January 29, 2014
My first book by Kim Fielding and I loved it! 4.5 Stars! Recently separated, soon to be divorced, William Lyon accepts a job as the caretaker for an old, abandoned mental hospital while working on his dissertation. It will be nice and quiet and it includes room and board, which is great since he’s been living in his office since he and his wife split.
He’s settling in to his new apartment at the asylum when he meets Colby, who works for his grandfather at the small town’s general store.
I absolutely adored Colby with his skinny jeans and “Total Dance Whore” tank top! What a sweetheart! No hiding who or what he is, you can take it or leave it.
Colby stirs feelings in Will that he can no longer hide. Forced to live his whole life as someone he’s not with ultra-religious, unaccepting parents, he finally begins to explore his life as a gay man. Colby introducing him to the world of gay porn was super hot!!
As Will explores the mental hospital, he finds a tin box containing letters from Bill, a former patient. He was committed by his family to “cure” his homosexuality. His story and the letters were heartbreaking and sometimes hard to read. This book is very well written! Can’t wait to read more from this author!
He’s settling in to his new apartment at the asylum when he meets Colby, who works for his grandfather at the small town’s general store.
“Colby Thomas Anderson, JV’s resident queer. So I figured hey, I’m gonna be the most authentic fucking me I can be.”
I absolutely adored Colby with his skinny jeans and “Total Dance Whore” tank top! What a sweetheart! No hiding who or what he is, you can take it or leave it.
Colby stirs feelings in Will that he can no longer hide. Forced to live his whole life as someone he’s not with ultra-religious, unaccepting parents, he finally begins to explore his life as a gay man. Colby introducing him to the world of gay porn was super hot!!
“My parents still don’t know why we split. They think I’m just a failure as a husband—not also a failure as a heterosexual.”
Colby grinned. “But this gives you a fabulous opportunity to be a flaming success as a homosexual!”
As Will explores the mental hospital, he finds a tin box containing letters from Bill, a former patient. He was committed by his family to “cure” his homosexuality. His story and the letters were heartbreaking and sometimes hard to read. This book is very well written! Can’t wait to read more from this author!
November 6, 2014
3 torn *make up your own mind* stars
The story of letters
There were two stories in this book - one very sad and depressing ( Bill and Jonny) and one more hopeful ( William and Colby).
I felt that sad part was a bit overpowering and I also found myself not really connecting with William and just slightly connected with Colby.
What I can recommend in this book is the beautiful letters, the sadness and pain and how people still struggle with who they are and who they want or dare to be. I wish the rest of the story made me feel the same hope, emotions and inspiration.
Holded hands with Isabel and Barbara here
The story of letters
"There’s always people who think they have the right to decide who other people are supposed to be."
There were two stories in this book - one very sad and depressing ( Bill and Jonny) and one more hopeful ( William and Colby).
I felt that sad part was a bit overpowering and I also found myself not really connecting with William and just slightly connected with Colby.
What I can recommend in this book is the beautiful letters, the sadness and pain and how people still struggle with who they are and who they want or dare to be. I wish the rest of the story made me feel the same hope, emotions and inspiration.
Holded hands with Isabel and Barbara here
October 30, 2014
“There’s always people who think they have the right to decide who other people are supposed to be.”
Anyone out there with a heart,
READ THIS BOOK!
It might be a work of fiction, but I'm sure this IS someone's story, many someones, unfortunately.
“I think most of those stories are really sad.”
“They are. That’s why they need to be told, William. So we can learn from them.”
I'm too overwhelmed right now to say much, but I'd say this - I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's worth every tear.
***5 stars***
April 26, 2017
August 20, 2016
My dearest Bill,
You don't know me, but I want you to know the impact your brave and loving life have had.
There in the middle of nowhere, your tin box had found hidden in a wall in your cell .Your tin box, Bill, full of words. These words that never sank in your dearest Johnny. But these words, are all of you,the thoughts of you, the feel of you, the taste of you, the love of you.
There in the middle of nowhere, a abandoned mental clinic told us so many stories. There where remains deeply buried so many human fates, like you never even existed. The barbaric things done to you in the name of treatment, in the name of “curing” you.
There in the middle of nowhere, Will fallen in love with the first man who looked at him twice, and became emotionally invested in you. Will, who had lived a life like many decades earlier. A life in many ways limited and closed off. He had spent his life pretending to be somebody else, praying—begging God to change him. He have been changed by you, Bill, and Colby, but not in the way he prayed for. You and Colby, a guy with his eternal smile and cheery chatter who wasn’t afraid to be himself, have made him believe in the future, believe in hope, believe in love.
Your story, Bill, your words will not be forgotten, will be forever in our hearts.
With all my love,
Pavellit
My dearest Bill,
You don't know me, but I want you to know the impact your brave and loving life have had.
There in the middle of nowhere, your tin box had found hidden in a wall in your cell .Your tin box, Bill, full of words. These words that never sank in your dearest Johnny. But these words, are all of you,the thoughts of you, the feel of you, the taste of you, the love of you.
There in the middle of nowhere, a abandoned mental clinic told us so many stories. There where remains deeply buried so many human fates, like you never even existed. The barbaric things done to you in the name of treatment, in the name of “curing” you.
There in the middle of nowhere, Will fallen in love with the first man who looked at him twice, and became emotionally invested in you. Will, who had lived a life like many decades earlier. A life in many ways limited and closed off. He had spent his life pretending to be somebody else, praying—begging God to change him. He have been changed by you, Bill, and Colby, but not in the way he prayed for. You and Colby, a guy with his eternal smile and cheery chatter who wasn’t afraid to be himself, have made him believe in the future, believe in hope, believe in love.
Your story, Bill, your words will not be forgotten, will be forever in our hearts.
With all my love,
Pavellit
October 3, 2013
A new release by Kim Fielding? Of course I had to read it! She's never steered me wrong!
This is a heartbreaking yet gentle story that deals with ex-gay therapy as it was done as far back as WWII but also fairly recently. Although the topic may seem grim at first glance, Kim does an amazing job at balancing it by adding Colby and Will to the mix. Colby is the sparkle in this story but you also have William's quiet and loving personality in the mix. Together they bring to the story the ray of hope needed to deal with such a bitter topic.
I want to thank Kim for taking on such a topic, researching it and delivering this tremendous story. You have never steered me wrong but this time you took me somewhere exceptional.
This is a heartbreaking yet gentle story that deals with ex-gay therapy as it was done as far back as WWII but also fairly recently. Although the topic may seem grim at first glance, Kim does an amazing job at balancing it by adding Colby and Will to the mix. Colby is the sparkle in this story but you also have William's quiet and loving personality in the mix. Together they bring to the story the ray of hope needed to deal with such a bitter topic.
I want to thank Kim for taking on such a topic, researching it and delivering this tremendous story. You have never steered me wrong but this time you took me somewhere exceptional.
January 10, 2016
I am bereft! I am emotionally wrung out! I am beside myself!
I am moved beyond words!
I am totally and utterly in love with this book!
I just can’t say enough how this story affected me. A story where the past meets the present but shows us how we have come so far and can celebrate what we have achieved. A story that shows us love will always prevail no matter how hopeless the situation, no one can be robbed of the way they feel about someone. Bearing this in mind this review could be a little longer than usual but please do read on.
William is going through a divorce and has taken up a caretaker's job in a remote, disused asylum for the mentally insane to get away from everything in order to concentrate on his thesis.This man is so repressed it’s pitiful. However, he realises his marriage is a farce and tells his wife that he is gay. As a child his parents sent him on all sorts of aversion therapy, pray the gay away camps, etc. so he has been so much in self-denial he really doesn’t know where he should go from here. In many respects he has totally wasted his early years on trying to be someone he wasn’t and never could be. At least getting divorced and telling the truth is a first step in the right direction. William is also a bit of a geek or nerd in the fact that he tries to rationalise everything that has anything to do with emotions in order to protect himself from opening his feelings up. So now he is here in an abandoned mental asylum that closed some thirty years before, in the middle of nowhere, making sure the place is looked after. Well, the whole prospect of being in such a building all alone with miles of corridors winding off into deserted rooms where patients were once held is spooky enough. Hell, I don’t think I would sleep a wink!
The nearest town or I should say nothing more than a small village is Jelley’s Valley that boasts a post office, small convenience store, gas station and restaurant. That’s it! A village where everyone knows everyone else because they all seem to be related to everyone. To get anything you have to go to the next larger town in Mariposa. When William goes to Jelley’s Valley post office he meets Colby for the first time. OMG!! Did I love Colby from the get go or what? I just fell in love with this character from the first time he appeared right up to his very last sentence in the book. He is the bird of paradise for Jelley’s Valley, if you know Little Britain then yes, Colby is “the only gay in the village!” Probably a little too much for such a village but he is true to himself, makes no apologies for the way he is and is much loved by the town’s residents. OK, he is also related to half of them. The first time these two meet is wonderful and you can see that Colby is exactly what William needs to bring him out of his repressed shell and teaches him to be comfortable in his own skin.
So Colby has a project and that is try to crack the hard nut that is William. I just loved the dynamics between these two characters. William always hiding back in his shell when Colby becomes too much. Colby trying to entice him out and show him that he has nothing to be afraid of living life as a gay man. Repressed William meets free as a bird Colby. What great dynamics, loved it.
On one of his walks around the asylum William finds an old tin box hidden in a crevice in a wall. Upon opening the box he finds letters written by a former patient who was incarcerated in this asylum some 80 years ago after his family had turned him in for being a sexual deviant, in other words homosexual. With every letter that William reads my heart was broken time and time again. Each letter begins with Bill, the patient, beginning with Dear Johnny…… OMG!! This poor man, this poor dear man who was so young when he was sent to Jelley’s Valley Asylum writes to his lover who he'll never see again. We learn with each letter the horrors that he suffered all in the name of finding a cure for his homosexuality. At the end of every letter I felt like I had cried a river!! Seriously, I was a sobbing wreck! These letters were so heartfelt, so hopeless and yet so courageous. Showing us that Bill had never given up on not selling out his true self. Never turns his back on the love he has for his Johnny. Knowing himself back then that there was no cure for his so called ailment, despite what medical practices seemed to think at the time, he fought until he couldn’t fight anymore. There are only a certain number of letters as after a while they stop. But believe me with every single letter I cried and cried. We find out later why the letters stopped so abruptly and I cried all over again!
Why were these letters so powerful for me? Well, first of all to think of the suffering that Bill had experienced were horrific. Don’t let anyone say that LGBT people have never really suffered or been persecuted in history. Believe you me they have and in some less peaceable countries in the world still are. But we balance this out with the present day situation and it makes all the problems we face today seem so insignificant in comparison. Knowing that Bill would never have seen the life that Colby and William can lead today. Knowing that Bill would never have his happy ever after but maybe, just maybe, if he can look down on the world today and see how life is with William and Colby it would make him happy. But through Bill’s letters William finds the courage to turn his life around and go after the one person that means the whole world to him and that is Colby. His letters are so tragic but we can also learn and be inspired by them. It’s as though Bill is reaching through time, talking to William, telling him not to waste a minute of his life. Geez, this was just so beautiful.
This was the whole success of this book for me. Yes, Bill’s situation was a complete contrast to William’s and Colby’s, but it didn’t devalue or trivialise Bill’s message and story in anyway. It made it all the more poignant. It was a wonderful balance, one minute you are smiling and laughing at Colby, the next you are sobbing your heart out for Bill. A book that evoked so many emotions in one read I was left dazed and awed at this story.
Narration
Now here we have the whole crux of the matter. As good as book maybe the narration is all so important. All I can say here is PERFECT!! Absolutely PERFECT! K. C. got everything absolutely right for me. His voice characterisations were spot on, William sounded all professor like and a little nerdy. But his characterisation of COLBY, oh my goodness! Fabulous, it was slightly camp but definitely not over the top or exaggerated. You could just hear how Colby is a gay man who feels comfortable in his own skin, the total opposite of William. As soon as I heard this character I was in love immediately.
However, we get to the letters from Bill in the tin box. Again and incredibly distinct voice characterisation which had me in tears! As each letter progressed you could hear the transformation between hopeful and fighting to resigned and relinquishing. Oh my, how I shed tears over this.
Everything absolutely PERFECT!
Haven’t read or listened to this book yet? Then don’t delay as you don’t know what you have missed.
I am moved beyond words!
I am totally and utterly in love with this book!
I just can’t say enough how this story affected me. A story where the past meets the present but shows us how we have come so far and can celebrate what we have achieved. A story that shows us love will always prevail no matter how hopeless the situation, no one can be robbed of the way they feel about someone. Bearing this in mind this review could be a little longer than usual but please do read on.
William is going through a divorce and has taken up a caretaker's job in a remote, disused asylum for the mentally insane to get away from everything in order to concentrate on his thesis.This man is so repressed it’s pitiful. However, he realises his marriage is a farce and tells his wife that he is gay. As a child his parents sent him on all sorts of aversion therapy, pray the gay away camps, etc. so he has been so much in self-denial he really doesn’t know where he should go from here. In many respects he has totally wasted his early years on trying to be someone he wasn’t and never could be. At least getting divorced and telling the truth is a first step in the right direction. William is also a bit of a geek or nerd in the fact that he tries to rationalise everything that has anything to do with emotions in order to protect himself from opening his feelings up. So now he is here in an abandoned mental asylum that closed some thirty years before, in the middle of nowhere, making sure the place is looked after. Well, the whole prospect of being in such a building all alone with miles of corridors winding off into deserted rooms where patients were once held is spooky enough. Hell, I don’t think I would sleep a wink!
The nearest town or I should say nothing more than a small village is Jelley’s Valley that boasts a post office, small convenience store, gas station and restaurant. That’s it! A village where everyone knows everyone else because they all seem to be related to everyone. To get anything you have to go to the next larger town in Mariposa. When William goes to Jelley’s Valley post office he meets Colby for the first time. OMG!! Did I love Colby from the get go or what? I just fell in love with this character from the first time he appeared right up to his very last sentence in the book. He is the bird of paradise for Jelley’s Valley, if you know Little Britain then yes, Colby is “the only gay in the village!” Probably a little too much for such a village but he is true to himself, makes no apologies for the way he is and is much loved by the town’s residents. OK, he is also related to half of them. The first time these two meet is wonderful and you can see that Colby is exactly what William needs to bring him out of his repressed shell and teaches him to be comfortable in his own skin.
“My parents still don’t know why we split. They think I’m just a failure as a husband - not a failure as a heterosexual.”Yes, I LOVED Colby. Upbeat, always positive, a quip for any situation. I adored him. But we later discover he is by no means shallow. He is a very caring and loving person, he’d been away from Jelley’s Valley to San Francisco, lived the highs and lows such a city has to offer but came back to help his grandpa run the shop and post office. Someone who loves and values his family, someone who dreams and believes in one partner for life and after playing the field guards his heart closely from having it broken. However, he doesn't reckon with William.
Colby grinned. “But this gives you a fabulous opportunity to be a flaming success as a homosexual!”
So Colby has a project and that is try to crack the hard nut that is William. I just loved the dynamics between these two characters. William always hiding back in his shell when Colby becomes too much. Colby trying to entice him out and show him that he has nothing to be afraid of living life as a gay man. Repressed William meets free as a bird Colby. What great dynamics, loved it.
On one of his walks around the asylum William finds an old tin box hidden in a crevice in a wall. Upon opening the box he finds letters written by a former patient who was incarcerated in this asylum some 80 years ago after his family had turned him in for being a sexual deviant, in other words homosexual. With every letter that William reads my heart was broken time and time again. Each letter begins with Bill, the patient, beginning with Dear Johnny…… OMG!! This poor man, this poor dear man who was so young when he was sent to Jelley’s Valley Asylum writes to his lover who he'll never see again. We learn with each letter the horrors that he suffered all in the name of finding a cure for his homosexuality. At the end of every letter I felt like I had cried a river!! Seriously, I was a sobbing wreck! These letters were so heartfelt, so hopeless and yet so courageous. Showing us that Bill had never given up on not selling out his true self. Never turns his back on the love he has for his Johnny. Knowing himself back then that there was no cure for his so called ailment, despite what medical practices seemed to think at the time, he fought until he couldn’t fight anymore. There are only a certain number of letters as after a while they stop. But believe me with every single letter I cried and cried. We find out later why the letters stopped so abruptly and I cried all over again!
Why were these letters so powerful for me? Well, first of all to think of the suffering that Bill had experienced were horrific. Don’t let anyone say that LGBT people have never really suffered or been persecuted in history. Believe you me they have and in some less peaceable countries in the world still are. But we balance this out with the present day situation and it makes all the problems we face today seem so insignificant in comparison. Knowing that Bill would never have seen the life that Colby and William can lead today. Knowing that Bill would never have his happy ever after but maybe, just maybe, if he can look down on the world today and see how life is with William and Colby it would make him happy. But through Bill’s letters William finds the courage to turn his life around and go after the one person that means the whole world to him and that is Colby. His letters are so tragic but we can also learn and be inspired by them. It’s as though Bill is reaching through time, talking to William, telling him not to waste a minute of his life. Geez, this was just so beautiful.
This was the whole success of this book for me. Yes, Bill’s situation was a complete contrast to William’s and Colby’s, but it didn’t devalue or trivialise Bill’s message and story in anyway. It made it all the more poignant. It was a wonderful balance, one minute you are smiling and laughing at Colby, the next you are sobbing your heart out for Bill. A book that evoked so many emotions in one read I was left dazed and awed at this story.
Narration
Now here we have the whole crux of the matter. As good as book maybe the narration is all so important. All I can say here is PERFECT!! Absolutely PERFECT! K. C. got everything absolutely right for me. His voice characterisations were spot on, William sounded all professor like and a little nerdy. But his characterisation of COLBY, oh my goodness! Fabulous, it was slightly camp but definitely not over the top or exaggerated. You could just hear how Colby is a gay man who feels comfortable in his own skin, the total opposite of William. As soon as I heard this character I was in love immediately.
However, we get to the letters from Bill in the tin box. Again and incredibly distinct voice characterisation which had me in tears! As each letter progressed you could hear the transformation between hopeful and fighting to resigned and relinquishing. Oh my, how I shed tears over this.
Everything absolutely PERFECT!
Haven’t read or listened to this book yet? Then don’t delay as you don’t know what you have missed.
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