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Worth Keeping
by: Susan mac Nicol
DESCRIPTION:
Abused horrifically as a boy, Nick Mothers has come to terms with his existence as a man. Mostly. Other days life seems a little much. Especially when Nick knows he’ll always be alone.On those days his thoughts turn black. He walks the Norfolk coast and considers the frigid embrace of the waves. And then, one stormy night, he finds someone who’s tasted just that. The beautiful stranger on the beach is near death, and Nick rushes him home to slowly nurse back to health. As he does, he finds a love unlike any other. Owen Butler’s body is as warm as the sea was cold, his heart as big as an ocean. And Owen is a man who swears to repay the favor. Nick can yet be saved from himself, and he will see that he is indeed a man…
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| review |
Set in a lighthouse, on a small island off the Norfolk coast, Worth Keeping deserves a nomination for most interesting location. The very first sentence takes the reader to the edge of a sea cliff in the middle of a thunderstorm where a mutual desire for death brings our two main characters together.
Nick lives in a cottage at the base of the lighthouse. It’s his job to see to its upkeep, maintain a diary of its history and act as tour guide. One night his nightmares and memories are so bad they drive him out to the cliff, where he’s distracted from thoughts of suicide by the sight of a figure washed up on the shore below.
Owen was certain he wanted to die when he flung himself from the side of a boat and into the icy water. He never expected to be rescued and taken in by the man he glimpsed standing at the edge of the cliff. He also didn’t expect the offer of a temporary home with his savior, with whom he feels an instant and mutual attraction. Despite Nick’s feelings of responsibility towards Owen, it is actually Owen’s handling of Nick and Nick’s issues that the majority of this book is based upon.
Nick’s issues. Where do I start? Nick is one of the most damaged men I’ve ever read. What makes him such a credible character is his reactions and interactions with other characters. One moment he’s laughing and loving, the next he’s pushing everyone away and harming himself. He’s not completely fixed or completely broken. He just does the best he can to get through each day.
All of the secondary characters in this book are impressive, well written and real but without taking up too much of the story. My favorite character was Don, Nick’s adoptive father. Reading about the things he did to help Nick was amazing. Everybody should be lucky enough to know such a person. Even Brad, the villain of the piece is introduced before his interactions with Nick and Owen, which occur towards the end of the book. I disliked Brad well before meeting him, and had learned to hate him by the time he actually showed up on the island.
Some readers are going to find aspects of this book difficult to take. There’s recounted sexual abuse and torture, some of which is told from a child’s perspective. There are details of a child’s suicide attempts. The part I found most emotional was reading about a thirteen-year-old’s feelings of triumph at ending his life as he lay dying in an ally. The book also includes scenes of violence, rape and attempted murder.
I went into this story a bit scared of what I’d find. I like the arrow on my angst o’ meter to remain fairly low. Strangely enough, it did. While details of child abuse are always terrible to read it was all in Nick’s past. The premise of the story may be about the abuse Nick suffered but the book focuses on the relationships he has now and the romance that unfolds between Nick and Owen. Whenever the story edged towards too dark for me to comfortably read I was happily surprised with humor. I have to say I thought the author did a remarkable job of balancing the dark with light.
This was a stand out book for me. I’d go as far as saying it’s my favorite by Susan Mac Nicol to date. For those readers who really love their hurt-comfort stories, put this at the top of your TBR list.
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