I came to the Keely series with trepidation. For the uninitiated, this series picks up a story Morrison told in a previous series. That collection--the Maggie series--left me with a profound sadness for Max, and I wasn’t sure I could bear seeing Maggie jerk him around some more. Happily, “Learning Keely” is a sweetly-told story of redemptive love—of Max finding the woman who might not only fill the hole but take him places he’s never gone before.
Working within a canvas already well-painted in the previous series, Morrison creates a fresh portrait of Max. He’s the same guy, haunted by the same demons, tortured by the same perceptions of mistakes committed and consequences earned as a result. But also not the same guy. This Max has hope, or at least the dawning of hope—he is learning Keely, who may hold promise of new light and life but might also be the bearer of more devastation. Keely is likewise learning Max, drawn to his darkness but also scared of what it might hide—not to mention what terrible secrets Max, Maggie and Cole once shared before Keely was invited into their intimidating triad. Morrison’s shifting of the narrative between Max and Keely (and occasionally Maggie, too) is mostly deft (who’s “she” and who’s “her” is at times challenging) but always illuminating without saying too much and spoiling the discoveries to be made here and, in a now-eagerly-awaited third volume, are yet to come.