A master class in subtlety. Superb.
This wee novella is so achingly understated, it’s like the essence of a story, just add water. And when you add water, you get this crowded, romantic novel about the undeclared but understood love between a brash, geeky blowhard and an all-but-mute coffee artist.
The story, 40 pages on my e-reader, gives us Tommy and Tavio mutually pining, while Tavio conducts entire conversations spoken in coffee; wordless acknowledgment from Tavio’s mother about his coming out; a host of geekery from the Stars (both Wars and Trek), including the parallels between Tavio and Spock; DADT and PTSD; families, baseball, kissing and sex.
4