A review by thebigemmt505
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

“‘We ordered some pizza, but it takes a dick-year to deliver out here, so settle in.’”

Summer Sons is the story of the sexually repressed and angsty Andrew as he moves to Nashville in order to find out what happened to his supposedly dead-by-suicide (boy)friend Eddie. There’s also lots of cars! 

I… think I get the most frustrated by books that have every element to be fantastic, intriguing, and meaningful, but aren’t… so needless to say, this one was a doozy for me. I don’t want to write a dissertation (maybe Troth can help me on that one, because I am white! Not a man though 😔) but I have many thoughts. 

The positives: Queer repression is real, and while I found it a bit jarring at first, I suppose it’s realistic. Two rich men from the American south weighted down by the generations behind them aren’t exactly gonna accept that they’re a bunch of massive queers immediately. There were beautiful sentences!
“Fire wouldn’t cleanse the history from that earth, but maybe it could put the bones to rest.” “The sepulchral vibe ached in his molars, wreckage all around resting silent and still.”
Among others. I liked the vibe, the aesthetic, and the setting of the book with all its imagery, hot sweat and blood dripping down the bodies of troubled young adults whose mere identities outcast them to the cursed grounds they reside on. I thought that eventually, some of the characters were quite interesting and likeable, and by that I mean West, Riley, Del (who was done horribly wrong in this tale) and sort-of Sam. 

Aside from that… dear fucking god. Let’s just make a list. 

1 ) PACING: as everyone is saying, the first 200 pages are a slog. There is far too much description and far too little plot progression, especially given the character we’re following is supposedly so determined to uncover the truth about Eddie. Every tiny little detail we uncover is followed by a paragraph of Andrew putting clothes in a washing machine, Andrew going into his or Eddies car, Andrew moping around and some variation of, “but did he REALLY know Eddie?” It takes at least two dick-years to get to anything of substance. Even in the latter half of the book, the pacing is still jarring, and the last 50 pages (you know, the interesting bit) felt so rushed in comparison to the rest.
Where was all the atmosphere in the Troth stand-off?

2 ) CHARACTERS: Andrew and Eddie were perfect for each other, because they both sound utterly insufferable. Stories can center around morally imperfect or awful characters, but that requires intrigue. I get the impression the Andrew was written as a privileged white boy whose redemption arc is unveiling the family curse he inherited and accepting his gayness, but he never grows likable. None of his dialogue, thoughts, or anything feels much more distinctive or interesting than, “well, that’s a dude!” Same with Eddie. As I stated, there are other characters who are fine, but through the lens of Andrew, whose relationships apparently involve little more than violence or eye-fucking
(haha, quite literally there at the end)
, there is only so much we can be interested in. These characters’ chemistries are implied and not earned, a trend I’m seeing far too often in queer media (fuck you Love, Lies, Bleeding.)

3 ) STORY: Andrew is dumb as fuck dude.
(Why don’t you fucking TALK to Eddie’s friends? Why don’t you read his notes? Why do you keep just fighting everyone who could help you? Why don’t you suspect Troth more? Why GO TO HER HOUSE and DRINK COFFEE she gave you when you were aware it was all a trap?)
The story had such jarring genre shifts and scenes it made the whole narrative a mess.
(Why does everyone keep racing with like, no verbal agreement? Why is there a romantic sub-plot sex scene smack dab in the middle of this book where 40 pages ago all the characters still hated each other? Why does the whole structure of this book amount to “nothing-burger convo, drive, hang out, drive, drive, DRIVE, haunt, wake up, drive, useless conversation with one tiny clue, DRIVE” I get we’re in America but MAAANNNN)
And honestly, when all is said and done, it’s just disappointing and honestly a little goofy.
(Wee-woo, Troth dies, Sam fucks up his eye, Andrew burns shit and bittersweet ending yay!)
The writer could’ve put all that lovely description into the lore of the land and the
Fulton curse 
but used it mostly on “for-the-vibes” passages, and the lack of real build up made everything feel flat. Also, it really likes to insist on how “southern gothic” it is when like… the characters… Vanderbilt… fuck it. 

4 ) WRITING: we all have flaws. Writing is hard.  It is for me! But just… the fucking dialogue, or lack thereof, was poorly done. There are too many bizarre and unnecessary adjectives
(why the fuck are we describing a chair as “utilitarian” and the climatic fire at the end of the book as “respectable”)
and other needlessly complex, bordering on haughty words that negatively impact the reading experience. The haunt scenes were very difficult to visualize. It’s all hard to read and not in the “good challenge” sort of way, minus the addition of a couple cool words to my vocabulary. Just… not as well thought out as it should’ve been and also very not my speed. Perhaps a lowly dyke like me isn’t intellectual enough for this book! (Okay, too snarky.) 

I could go on and on. Clearly, this author has talent and put a lot into this book. I don’t doubt the heart and it’s far from the worst trash ever written (I’m just harsh.) Clearly, the writing is especially not jibing with me personally. Admittedly, once I start disliking something I’ll tend to nitpick too, so that contributes. But… god man. I could’ve loved this book. I did not. 

Honestly, do what you want, but I don’t recommend this one. 
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