For a sixty-something Kinsey 6 boomer such as I, Zukowski’s novels push boundaries and force me to explore aspects of contemporary LGBTQ+ life that at moments seem as alien as they often do to straight people. This is a good thing. Having to grapple with beautifully-crafted complex characters like Alex and Jay opened up my mind and my heart to new truths – and that’s something for which one is never too old. There are things in this book that made me uncomfortable, and for that I am grateful.
As an author, Zukowski loves Alex – big and brooding and tattooed – as much as he loves Jay – beautiful and androgynous. Alex, a once-famous professional boxer, is newly out of prison for a terrible crime that he committed unwittingly. He is determined to cast off his past and to explore his attraction to men. Jay, former child star, gender non-binary and getting by as an escort, struggles every day to maintain his integrity in the face of social side-eye and potential violence. Somehow, in the midst of his less-than-serene life, Jay has never lost his compassionate heart and his need for love. Forced by circumstance into an awkward roommate situation, and somewhat to both their surprises, Jay finds himself drawn to the lumbering, quietly intelligent, Alex. Each finds in the other something for which they yearn, and together they push toward a happiness that neither money nor fame can give them.
Zukowski is an author who knows how to “show” rather than preach. He draws us into the world of his wounded characters, but he makes sure we know why they deserve to be loved, why we must embrace them in all their flawed humanity. He gives us humor, sorrow, and little emotional surprises along the way. “Blue Jay” was an epiphany for me, and left me with a bigger heart and an expanded mind.
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Reviews with images
A Heartwarming beautiful Love Story
This ARC from the author was nothing short of a fascinating story for me. Chris and Alex felt so real, igniting all my maternal instincts for these two besotted characters… I just wanted to hug them and stand outside their door to protect them…even cook for them…making sure Alex took his meds and help Chris with her dresses…Why I could even sew some for them!As you can see I was truly immersed in the story.It is not the humanity about the characters that stole my heart, but it was their inner resilience that drew me into their story. Despite the gut-wrenching events, these two never gave up, soldiering on to survive until they met. Once their encounter took place, they stopped surviving and started living. I cried a lot but I also cheered for them.I learned a lot about genderqueerness and appreciated that A LOT. Chris opened my eyes to gender-fluidity. I thank them for that valuable lesson. They are my heroes!!Alex, a newly paroled ex-professional boxer who is battling depression and PTSD, broke my heart too. He was a gentle giant who had a heart of gold. His trauma was his wakeup call. I absolutely bawled my eyes out when he went on his knees and apologized to Sam’s father. OMG. I was deeply moved.This is a profoundly emotional, eyeopening, thought-provoking story. The plot was fresh, unique and well created. The characters were stable throughout the story. The author wrote it with compassion and open-mindedness. One aspect that stood out for me about the story, was the wittiness, with a good measure of sarky, dry humor. That part made the story stand out for me
