Okay so onto the book: This novel again shows the various relationships that abound in the Troubleshooters world. But it is mainly focused on the worlds of Izzy Zanella and Dan Gillman. Since Izzy's wife is Dan's sister we finally get to se the reality behind their family dynamic. We also see the truth that lies behind Eden's "it's just sex" thinking. In book 13, Into the Fire, Eden had come running to Dan for help and had found Izzy instead. They end up married and her blasé attitude about sex immediately set my teeth on edge. It was obvious that there had been issues in her past. In this book the truth comes out. It is offset by the secondary plot of a young girl who had been sold in to the sex trade at the age of 8. There is no way to measure the horrors of either young woman. We also learn about the verbal and physical abuse of Danny's childhood. Which, though doesn't excuse, somewhat explains his actions and reactions to certain situations. Though Gillman will never be my favorite character, at least he is willing to man up and accept responsibility for his actions, as well as recognize his need for outside help. I love that Brockmann, in all of her books, is so open about the need for outside help when dealing with the shit of childhood. Whether it is an alcoholic parent or verbal, physical or sexual abuse, it is not something that can be overcome with out help. And even superSEALs can ask for help.
My love for Izzy solidifies with this novel. Not only does he sacrifice his life for his arch nemesis (aka his brother-in-law, aka Dan Gillman), he repeatedly tries to do what he thinks is best for all parties involved. Granted, at one point he thinks what is best is to get out of dodge, but that is just because he doesn't have the whole story. He figures it out.
Another aspect of this novel that is a reoccurring theme for Brockmann, is the difficulty of being an openly gay person in this day and age. In past novels we read about Robin, Jules, and even Tony. Here we see a whole different perspective - that of the teenage boy. The youngest Gillman, Ben, comes out of the closet and sets off a chain reaction that horrifies me. Here we catch a glimpse of the hate that can be caused by other's homophobic tendencies. The only thing I thought was missing, was someone that Ben could talk to that might understand him. Not that Jenn, Eden, Izzy, or Dan loved Ben any less, but it is hard to be the odd man out whatever the circumstances and therefore it might have been a nice conversation. Granted the era of this novel was during the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" bull, so the guys couldn't have called Tony to swing by Vegas. But Jules or Robin might have been helpful when trying to deal with the craptastic step-father. Though the conversation with Peter Sinclair III is one that I won't forget anytime soon. While only a page or two in the book, the scene of poor Peter talking about his boyfriend back in Connecticut, while cuffed to a bed with bandages around his wrists from him trying to kill himself, is one to remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment