This story is such a quiet thing. Many readers won't connect with it. (Not their fault. That's true of all stories.)

Despite the way the blurb reads, Al is our point of view character, not Larry. Al's not smart and he knows it, but what snares Larry's interest is his sweetness, and the unusual ways Al thinks about the world. As a reader, you have to pay attention or one of his thoughts will slip past you. One of them brought tears to my eyes.

I admire the skill it took to write this in such a kind, funny and insightful way. It was a little quieter than I tend to prefer, but lovely all the same. ( )

Muscling Through was a quick and easy read that is low on the angst meter. It followed the relationship of Al Fletcher and Larry Morton over the course of a year. These two men come from very different social classes. Al is a large, intimidating ex-bouncer who’s covered in tattoos, and Larry is an Art History professor at Cambridge. One night Larry turns into an alley to find Al taking a piss. When Al smiles at him, Larry thinks he’s done for. What Larry doesn’t know is that Al is thoughtful, sensitive and has natural artistic abilities. Al is also not very educated. He seems to have quit school early. Al talks down about his own intelligence but praises Larry’s. Larry believes that intelligence is not always as important as being kind and a good person, like Al.



The author did a great job of giving voice to Al so that I had no trouble imagining his speech, his tone of voice and his slow thought patterns. What I also liked was how when Al contemplated what another person did or said, he would give the person the benefit of the doubt and come up with an innocent or simple explanation as to why they did or said something. He didn’t look for the bad in people. He wasn’t always aware of the deeper complexities of why people did something or the snide comments people made, but I wonder how much of that was due to simply looking at people more kindly that others rather than a lower intelligence.

Al’s mother was a colorful character and I also enjoyed Larry’s sister, Ali. The one character’s voice I found a bit off was Larry himself. He sounded a little too young to me, not like a ‘posh professor’s’ voice like Al pointed out in the story.

Something I had to suspend belief over was that Larry asked Al to move in with him after only a week. I suppose that does happen in real life, but I'm thinking not all that frequently.

One of the things I really loved about this story was the first meeting of Al and Larry in the alley. It was so funny listening to Al’s thoughts as he talked to Larry and then we’d see and hear Larry’s reactions and know that he was completely misinterpreting what Al was thinking and saying. I think this scene has got to be one of the most fun scenes I’ve read.

There were sex scenes, but they weren’t long or very steamy. They were mostly used as backdrop to the events that happened in Al and Larry’s life.

Muscling Through is a nice, quick read if you need a break from an angst-ridden story. I give it 3 stars.


( )

I finally got a physical copy! It only took like 4 months to get to me.

Seriously I don't know why I love this story so much. I just do. Is it good? No. Is it funny? It has its moments. Does it has good representation? No idea. Probably not though.

It just hits all of my sweet spots and sometimes that's just what you need. ( )

Al Fletcher never expected what would happen when he helped a drunk Larry Morton home. His efforts were not exactly appreciated as Larry sent him away and threatened to call the police. Though he came and apologized after he sobered up, it was still a bit of a jarring experience. But the two started spending time together, finding after a short time that the last thing Larry would want to do is send Al away. It might be too good to be true, though, as they come from two completely different worlds. And as much as they seem to click together, Al can't help wondering if Larry can truly see past those differences in the long term...

This is a short read that moves quickly while managing to bring the reader right along for the ride. Without a lengthy exposition, the conflict that exists for these characters is made real rather quickly. Readers get a strong sense of both characters, even though the story is written from the perspective of only one of them. A well-written and entertaining story! ( )

Why did it take me so long to read this book?
I'm finding myself saying a lot this month as I've taken 5 of my favourite authors and am determined to read all of the books of theirs that I've been hoarding.
But in this case, I don't know. Maybe the cover or the title. I can't blame the blurb because I rarely read them after I've bought the book and never use that to pick books to read once they are on my Kindle.
I can't say but what I can say is this book wasn't what I expected. It was adorable and funny and different. When it ended at 86% (what's with that?) I was left kind of deflated that there wasn't more. ( )