Resurrection Man

I can, intellectually, empathize with homelessness and living on the streets. I don't, however, know or understand, truly, what that life is like or how I would deal with it. I was never a throwaway to my parents, regardless of what I did, whom I dated, or how many times I failed and picked myself back up. It wasn't until I was in my midtwenties that I really began to appreciate the concept of unconditional love. 'Resurrection Man' by KZ Snow is the story of one young man's faith, and despair, when his unconditional love is thrown away and ripped from his hands. How do you ever come back from that and learn to trust and love again?
To say that Elijah hasn't had an easy life since he was seventeen, is to say that Mt. Rushmore is just some stone carvings. His parents threw him out when they found out he was gay, unless, of course, he was willing to repent and speak with their priest. Apparently the first sixteen years of their love was only true as long as Elijah was who they wanted him to be. He lived on the streets, out of his car, often selling himself, and then he met Alonzo. They were together for fourteen months, living together for almost a year, when, on a visit to Chicago to see Dizzy, Alonzo's stepdad, Alonzo was shot and killed on the street in a drive-by. Alonzo died in Elijah's arms. Elijah was nineteen. One year later, Dizzy is now in Milwaukee, living in an abandoned factory, Elijah is about to lose his little apartment because he can't get a job that pays enough, and he's started seeing Alonzo's ghost. Elijah is fairly certain he's losing his mind.
As Elijah is visiting Dizzy one day, he meets Michael, a volunteer street liaison for a homeless agency. Elijah is drawn to this compassionate and caring man, and his guilt at even looking at another man slowly dissipates. Elija and Michael's growing friendship helps Elijah recognize that hiding from people and being stuck in the past isn't a healthy way to live. He begins to understand that he can't move forward until he reconciles the past. When Elijah and Michael finally tumble into bed together, Elijah gets something he's never had before, even with Alonzo. Elijah gets gentleness and long, slow foreplay. But, just having sex doesn't pave the way towards happy ever after, for either of them. They both have guilt, for different reasons, and Michael tries to get Elijah to promise he won't sell himself for money. Elijah can't make that promise though, he's doing everything possible to get a job, but there's nothing out there with his limited skills. He's going to have to move to the factory with Dizzy.
Oh. My. What. The. Hell? I can't believe the curveball the author threw at me. Well, at Elijah, actually. Up until this point, I was liking the book, but I hadn't been blown away. After that? Consider me blown. And Elijah's trust in people, is again significantly damaged. This was a really tough lesson for Elijah to learn, but I'm so glad he finally got it. Rose colored glasses can really skew your perception and it was time for Elijah to grow up. He did. And, in the process, he found what he'd been looking for all along. His own resurrection man.
A wonderful book! The writing is intense, the characters are strong, including the secondary ones, and overall, this is a truly fantastic story. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author and I highly recommend this novel.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.