To lain roads

by J.D. Goossens

Charmingly awkward Nathan Mills has never told the truth about his relationship with Layne Rhodes. Now he’s coming clean for the first time. How he fled the even flow of small town Ontario for fast-paced Vancouver. His endearingly clumsy go at independence — including follies as a boyish salesman in the cutthroat paint industry. Crowned by the funnelling events that led to his rooming with Layne. But through his tales of their circuslike time spent together, Nathan may discover that setting the record straight can be more complicated than you imagine.

An unexpected celebration of the city of Vancouver, To Lain Roads is a comic work of literary fiction that triumphs in smoking out stark humour, and hope, from the oddest of people and places.

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

J.D. Goossens is a stay-at-home dad for his son Louis in Dartmouth, NS. During the writing of his first novel To Lain Roads, J.D. waitered in restaurants Canada-wide ranging from white linen establishments to dark seedy bistros. Through his experiences he developed an appreciation of food, wine, mega-talented coworkers, and the human comedy. After an early draft of To Lain Roads was long-listed for the SFU Writer’s Studio 1st Book Prize, J.D. decided to see his work to publication.

Reviews

[Peter Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed with this book. I expected a lighthearted fun read. Instead the story was slow and plodding but readable. Unfortunately the ending ruined what little enjoyment was in these pages. This is not a book I can recommend.

[Hypatia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was strange. It was very funny in places. The main character is pretty unlikable, but meant to be that way I think.
At first, I found him annoying because he seemed to be so full of whiny First World Problems. He moves to Vancouver, gets a job because his uncle knows someone, turns out to be miserably incompetent so gets promoted (only a white male, really). Then he goes home for a wedding and ends up hooking up with his incredibly hot crush from high school, who moves to Vancouver to be with him. It doesn't work out of course, so he has to find an apartment. Because he leaves it until the last possible moment, his only option ends up being a run down apartment off Commercial Drive, living with a man named Layne.

That takes up the first 2/3 of the book though, and then you discover that it's actually all a lie, and the roommate was actually a really nice guy, but he moved out when he found out his roommate was HIV positive. He then runs away to Australia for a year, gets depressed, and hides in a youth hostel in Sydney for a year. It is interesting for making the reader think about how you might react if you found out your roommate was HIV positive, but other than that I don't feel like the book had a lot of redeeming features.

Also, because the main character works in paint (even though he's bad at it), nothing is ever described with a simple colour. The car isn't red, it's Crimson Rose (235-35), which is a little distracting from the flow of the story.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

First thing: The author is good with words. That being said, the story just seemed to ramble, and the plot was boring. If given a better story line, he could probably do wonderful things with it. I never really felt like I was rooting for the guy. I really didn't find myself liking him or understanding him. I lost interest and found myself glossing over the last few chapters just to get it done.

[Lorraine Helson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one caught me off guard by the ending! Very colourful and detailed writing that I loved to the last page!!!! Oh Nate! You embody so many people that my heart aches!!!!!! Give this a read!!!!!

[Greg Scheelar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style was engaging which was good. The protagonist was only moderately interesting and the story kind of rambled. I felt like I owed it to myself to see if things wrapped up in a reasonable fashion but it didn't. The ending made me question why I read it in the first place. Overall, I could have lived quite happily having not read the book. But it's not the worst book I have ever read and the author seemed nice when I met him so I gave it 2 stars.

[Jess Topple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a slow burn for me. At first, I wasn't sure how to feel about the ending and didn't like that the protagonist had lied even to me. I would have rated the story up to the (spoiler alert) twist a little lower than 5 stars, even though it was wonderfully told. But this book has stayed with me - I keep thinking back to it even months after having finished it. The ending shines new light on the whole story and I have come to appreciate it quite a lot.

[Jeannette Folan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked: the writing style was engaging, the characters were unique/unpredictable, and it proved to be a good book club selection, as it generated colourful discussion.

What I didn't like: some of the situations and dialogue the characters were in made me uncomfortable, and their behavior was disturbing. I would put this on my shelf next to "Lullabies for Little Criminals".

[Eric Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it! Very funny exposé to the seedier side of Vancouver for a CFA. A few great reveals and surprises.

Bought the book directly from the author set-up at the farmers market in Hubbards last summer. What a hoot! I'm going to e-mail him to tell him how much I enjoyed it.