Baggage

by Wes Funk

Sam Brown is a shy, nineteen-year-old farm kid fresh out of cooking school. Determined to make a life for himself in the city, he lands a job in a downtown Saskatoon diner. There, he meets Slash, the restaurant's gruff middle-aged cook, and Bliss, an abrasive waitress. As the two men help Bliss struggle with her own demons, they are forced to face the truth inside of their own unlikely friendship. Baggage is a novel about lost souls finding one another; it's a story of intimacy and how it forces us to see the truths we don't always have the strength to face on our own.

162 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Wes Funk was a Saskatoon-based author whose strong belief in diversity is the driving factor in his books. His passion for rock 'n' roll and a love for the prairie lifestyle are also strong themes in his work. Wes's novel 'Dead Rock Stars' was shortlisted for a Sask Book Award and received an Honourable Mention in Writers Digest's International Self-Published Book Competetion. He was active in Saskatchewan's vibrant literary community and often addresses book clubs and workshops. Several radio and television programs across Canada interviewed Wes about his novels.

Reviews

[Neil Mudde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great read with believable characters, I really enjoyed this book

[Melistress · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all I liked Baggage. I thought it was a nice story. It was short and sweet. However I really think that more could have been done with this story. The synopsis on the back is misleading and I really felt that the story was rushed and neglected.

The biggest problem I have with the book is the believability of the homosexuality of Sam and Slash. There was no lead up to that. Through the remainder of the book we learn that this was perfectly obvious to the rest of the characters in the story. I didn't feel that it was obvious to me and that the author just dropped this on my lap in a casual and matter of fact way. I grew up in a small town and among farm boys with a strict religious upbringing. That Sam's character was passive does not excuse the lack of struggle with this fact. Sam would have struggled and Sam would have perhaps done some exploring of his sexuality in cooking school. And had Sam never done any thinking about this, he wouldn't have slid into the arms of Slash quite so easily. And that whole scene came out of nowhere...

Slash was underdeveloped as well. There was no indication of his interest in Sam in any other way than friendship right up until he stayed the night.

Bliss, according to the synopsis, was supposed to be a central part of the book as well, but I found her absent and nowhere near abrasive. There could have been so much more to this struggle and so much more to her character. All we really know about her is that she never had things as easy as her sister and she got caught up in a bad relationship and contracted HIV. That's it. The synopsis says that Sam and Slash help her with her troubles but really they pick her up off the dance floor and Slash gives her a place to live and magically all her troubles are over...with the exception of being sick.

I gave this book three stars because I live in Saskatoon. I was a card carrying member of Diva's in my youth. The book wasn't unreadable, I liked it, but it could have been so much more. That being said, the setting and imagery stole my heart. I love Saskatoon.

[Erin Tempel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt the fragility of the characters throughout the whole story, so much so that I read each new chapter with apprehension. When a story pulls me in that strongly I know I've found a treasure.