Life After Joe by Harper Fox
Dear reader:
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this one. However, it wasn’t long before I found myself completely immersed in the world of Matt, Joe, and Aaron.
Life After Joe is told from a first-person point of view, giving us a very intimate look at a man who has lost the only person he loved throughout his life. When Joe leaves Matt after almost a lifetime together, Matt stays behind to pick up the pieces of his life and start over. What follows is a downward spiral of emotional pain and self-degradation that nearly brings Matt to his knees. It’s when Matt meets Aaron that he begins to see a glimmer of hope and a life after Joe.
What I found wonderful about this book was Mrs. Harper’s ability to introduce us to emotional history through Matt’s voice; and he has a very distinctive voice. You are easily transported to his world and you feel at the same time a kinship by his longing and pain. He was particularly committed to Mrs. Fox’s honest portrayal of Matt. He is a vulnerable and flawed character who reacts to circumstances in his life and there are no apologies for that. This makes for a perfect setup for Aaron. Aaron is not a person who ‘reacts’, rather he is a man who thinks before acting. The juxtaposition of these two characters highlights what has been lacking in Matt’s life and the question is whether he can finally take stock of his life and fully re-engage in life and not someone who is completely mired in his life. own pain.
Ms. Fox has drawn in fine lines the world of a man at a crossroads in his life and the decisions he makes to find a path to life after heartbreak. Life After Joe is an intimate and engaging book and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
