HELLO FRIENDS, MY MY MY IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK I AM REVIEWING THIS TIME, YOU NEED TO RECTIFY THAT RIGHT NOW! BILLY'S BONES BY JAMIE FESSENDEN IS A ONE OF A KIND READ! BELOW IS MY REVIEW, THE LINKS, AND EVEN AN EXCERPT. SO LET'S GET GOING:
PERFECT, JUST PERFECT FOR THIS BOOK! HERE IS MY REVIEW:
Billy's Bones by: Jamie Fessenden
reviewed by: Becky
Kevin Derocher was thirty-two when he walked into Tom’s office, newly married, a baby on the way, and the collar of his red flannel shirt pulled up to hide the bruises around his throat from when he hanged himself in his garage. After his initial consult, therapist Tom Langois believes he’ll never see Kevin again—but Kevin turns up three years later to make repairs on Tom’s new house.
Kevin and Tom become fast friends, and Tom begins to suspect Kevin may be interested in more than friendship. However, Kevin remains haunted by something from his childhood—something so terrible he blocked it from his mind. These suppressed memories make it impossible for Kevin to get close to anyone without panicking and lashing out, sometimes violently. But as his past begins to surface, it becomes apparent that Kevin may hold the key to a twenty-five-year-old mystery: what happened to Billy?
I know this is an "older" book, coming out in 2013, but I got it last night and read right through, this author captivated me so much with the storyline, and the way the characters just came to life I had to finish it no matter how late it was :P!
Tom is a therapist, and sees Kevin one time after a suicide attempt, Tom knew Kevin needed help, but after the required session Tom knew Kevin wouldn't be back.
Imagine his surprise when three years later he is given Kevin's card as someone to call to get the hot tub at his new house working. The chemistry is all kinds of evident, even though Kevin is 'straight', there is a pull. Kevin has secrets, and the more Tom learns about him, the more worried about him, and at the same time drawn to him Tom becomes.
Kevin is living with a secret, a secret he doesn't even realize he has, it is locked away in his mind and though it must be brought to the surface, can Kevin's fragile mind handle the result?
Oh my goodness this is a must read! You will hurt for Kevin, and root for him and Tom, as well as be riveted by this amazing storyline! Thanks Jamie, for making me fall in love with a story that is both haunting and beautiful in the telling!
I JUST HAD TO DO THE HOT TUBS, THEY ARE SO CENTRAL TO THE STORY! HERE ARE THE LINKS, PICK THIS ONE UP FRIENDS!
DREAMSPINNER PRESS BUY LINK
AMAZON US BUY LINK
AMAZON UK BUY LINK
GOODREADS LINK
USE THOSE LINKS FRIENDS! HERE IS AN EXCERPT FOR YA:
KEVIN DEROCHER was just thirty-two when he walked into Tom’s office, newly married, a baby on the way, and the collar of his red flannel shirt pulled up in an attempt to hide the bruises around his throat caused by hanging himself in his garage. He was a lean, quiet man with a shy smile and a disheveled appearance—unshaven, with a tangle of chocolate-brown hair, as if he’d scrambled out of bed too late to even grab a comb. When Tom shook his hand and looked into those sleepy, soft hazel eyes for the first time, he was struck not by the pain he often saw in his client’s eyes, but by the confusion he saw there, as if Kevin had no idea why any of this was happening.
“So, Kevin,” Tom said when they were seated in the overstuffed, faux leather chairs, “how have you been for the past few days?”
Kevin crossed his legs, as if trying to find a comfortable position, and then immediately uncrossed them again. “Okay, I guess.”
“Good. How’s your wife… Tracy, right? And the baby?”
“The baby’s not born yet,” Kevin replied.
Tom already knew this. It had been Dr. Belanger’s opinion when he’d counseled Kevin at Androscoggin Valley Hospital, that learning of Tracy’s unplanned pregnancy had been the trigger that led to Kevin’s suicide attempt. Kevin had denied it. Of course. Having a child is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of a man’s life.
It doesn’t usually lead to suicide.
“I understand that,” Tom said pleasantly, tugging the short black hair of his beard between thumb and forefinger. “I simply meant, how is the pregnancy coming along?”
Kevin shrugged. “It’s fine.”
Tom realized he was thirsty, so he stood and went to the water bubbler in the corner. “Would you like some water?” he offered, holding up an empty paper cup.
“Yeah, sure.”
It wasn’t until Tom carried both cups back and set them on the slightly battered coffee table that Kevin volunteered, “I think she’s mad at me.”
“Your wife?” Tom settled back into his chair and smiled at him. “Mad about what?”
“Trying to kill myself.”
“Has she said anything?”
“Not really,” Kevin said. He crossed and uncrossed his legs again, looking at his cup on the coffee table without seeming to focus on it. “She hardly talks to me at all now. She spends most of her time after work visiting with her mom.”
Tom didn’t feel comfortable doing couples counseling since he’d never been married. The state of New Hampshire had legalized gay marriage this past year, but Tom wasn’t even dating anyone. He generally referred people with marital trouble to his colleague, Sue Cross. But in this case, talking to Tracy might provide some valuable insight into what had happened, so he offered, “Do you think it might help to have Tracy join us for a session?”
“No.”
“Well, it’s an option if you decide you’d like to do that later.”
“How many times do I have to see you?”
This was just an outpatient follow up since Mark Belanger hadn’t felt Kevin’s short stay in the hospital was enough to really help him. They’d released him when they believed he was no longer a danger to himself, but they’d never ascertained what the real issue was. That could take months, if not years. But Kevin couldn’t be forced to continue counseling.
“Why don’t we talk about that at the end of the session?” Tom asked. He suspected Kevin would simply get up and walk out if he gave him half a chance. “Right now, I’d like to talk about why Dr. Belanger referred you to me.”
When Kevin just stared blankly at his cup of water, Tom asked him, “Would you care to tell me what happened a couple weeks ago? On that Sunday?”
Kevin sighed and leaned forward to take a sip from the cup. “We went over that about a million times in the hospital. Didn’t they write it down for you?”
“Dr. Belanger did send me some notes. But I’d like to hear it from you.”
“I don’t really remember.”
“So the case notes say.”
“Well, they’re right,” Kevin said, irritated. “Tracy went out shopping for baby clothes or something with her sister. And I was feeling pretty low—”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just was.”
“I’m sorry. Go on.”
The story Kevin told wasn’t much different from what Mark Belanger had written. Kevin had decided to have a beer, and then a few more. His feeling of being “a little low” worsened until, in his intoxicated state, the depression seemed insurmountable. Then he went out to the garage, stripped completely naked, and hung himself by tying one leg of his blue jeans to a crossbeam and the other around his neck, and then stepping off the tailgate of his truck. He didn’t fall far enough to break his neck, and the way he’d tied the pants leg still allowed a trickle of air into his throat. So he didn’t die. He just hung there, choking. He passed out after a few minutes, but the medics estimated he dangled for ten or fifteen minutes before someone driving along the road in front of his garage saw him and called 911.
“Why do it naked?” Tom asked.
Kevin shrugged and downed the rest of his water. “I don’t know. It must have seemed right at the time.”
YOU KNOW YOU GOTTA READ THE REST FRIENDS, TRUST ME YOU WILL BE GLUED TO THE SCREEN UNTIL YOU ARE DONE! ;P THANKS FOR JOINING ME FOR MY REVIEW OF BILLY'S BONES!
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