I was only thirty one. I shoulda been jumpin’ around makin’ money, runnin with a son, but instead I was gettin’ fat and getting stuck on old thoughts.
This contemporary novel was a good read. I don’t think I have read something like this before. My fiction choices have always always focused on mystery/thriller. Anything with dead bodies, missing person or somewhere in between.
Finding Bryan is about the journey of a thirty something old man named Forrest whose life was already a chaos. As his mom asked him to go on a trip to find his brother; who cut his family off many years ago. Forrest is focused on this task to get it right but as things started to unfold you will clearly see how Forrest messes up his life even more.
When the story begins to unravel; you will also get to see how Forrest is the man who represents those who are stuck in past without the intentions of growing as everything else around them has probably grown. There are things in life you have got to accept its progress. Traditions, customs that have worked in the past but no more.
You get to see how does it feel like to be someone who’s stuck in the past. Who has one image on his mind and keep living it on a loop; instead of facing reality and taking responsibility on his own. I even got angry at Forrest because he was too messed up. Being an adult man, the father, the husband; and not willing to put the right effort to create a healthy, financially stable family and still risks everything in his life to go after the brother who left them behind. There was a lot of misunderstanding between him and his father, him and his wife, him and his daughter….
Always acting like he’s the victim of it all. Even if we end up living a life that doesn’t feel good. We tend to forget that we have the right to stand up and just stop living this way. Sometime’s we cannot physically do anything about certain situations; but we definitely can control the way we see/feel about those things that we cannot control.
The story was well written; It did take me to the west. As I was listening to (Country instrumentals) to add it to the whole vibe that it was gibing me. The writer had done a pretty good job regarding the first person writing style. It is usually hard for me to adjust with but with this one I was hooked from page one.
Finding Bryan is about, Family, fatherhood, brotherhood, change, moving on, and being stuck in past memories.
When all what you are doing is defending yourself with lame excuses of how things were in the past. When all what you have right now is your past expectations and how things are ‘supposed to be’ instead of facing reality of how things are… You are not living on the right path; And the right path of your life is definitely shaped by you.
Wanting to be happy and healthy in every way. You have got to remember that YOUR life is 100% your responsibility. And holding others accountable on why you are failing or not leveling up; is just bad.. And when I say bad; I mean bad for you.
Some of the questions that you will ask yourself:
Will Forrest find his brother ‘Bryan’?
How this journey effect Forrests life?
What are Forrest’s current life values?
The story is being told by our main character. That’s Forrest; So, you will walk the journey with him until the end.
Whether you will accept him as being
Thank You Netgalley and Novel Novels for the ARC. I enjoyed it.
Book Details
Author: Matthew Kesselman
Pages: 310
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