Read what Kindle Nation Daily called “the sleeper hit of the year” what Kindle Fire Department called, “riveting, touching, and deeply heartwarming, a book that will stay with you forever”.
Nathan Cruz enjoyed the perfect life until the morning of September 11th2001. Barely surviving the twin towers collapse he loses everyone he loves in the disaster. Devastated, he flees from human contact to live in isolation aboard a houseboat in the Florida Keys. Years pass, but his crushing grief does not diminish with time.
Forced to the mainland by a category 4 hurricane he unwittingly seeks shelter in the home of Miriam Kanter, a young woman with terminal cancer who has come to the islands to die. Miriam’s unwavering enthusiasm for life changes everything Nathan ever thought about the meaning and what may lie beyond. She gives Nathan the answers he needs to mend the fractures of his shattered world and heal wounds cut deep into his soul. With the clock ticking toward the end of Miriam’s life, Nathan never figured the perils he would face knowing the most horrible knowledge one can know.
Professional Reviews
By Sunday S. Smith
About the Book:
An elevator ride cut short by the crash of an airplane into one of the twin towers is the opening of this book. We follow Nathan Cruz as he tries to rescue people while trying to reach his wife who is several floors above him. He has contact with her by cell phone but the fire is keeping her where she is and a blocked stairwell is preventing him from going to her. Neil saves dozens of people and eventually is seen as a hero by everyone else but himself. He has failed.
Ten years later we find Nathan has dropped out of life and is living on a small boat in the Florida Keys, keeping himself in food with fishing and the gathering of eggs from his pet chicken. A hurricane is quickly approaching the Keys but Nathan is determined to ride out the storm, though even the most seasoned of residents are telling him to evacuate. The storm is so powerful that Nathan loses his small craft but manages to make it to shore. There he spots a lone figure, struggling against the storm. Intrigued that someone is still around, he follows the figure who, as it turns out, is Miriam Kanter, a fellow individualist who was determined not to leave. She invites him into her shelter and it is there that Nathan's life changes drastically.
My Take:
Some books just stay with you. Some scenes continue to stir up emotions and ride with you like a backseat driver, popping up now and again to remind you of something or in this case remind you of a feeling. In Heir to Power (Michele Poague), it was the scene when Kinter holds one of their band as he dies; in Eragon it was the tomb transformed into crystal. But with some books, there are so many pieces that hang in there. I believe for many of us this will be one of those books.
When I started to write this review, I kept trying to figure out just how to tell you what the book was like. To me it is important that you, as my reader, don't get mislead about the nature of a book. Meanwhile, as I struggled, one book kept knocking on the door of my emotions - The Old Man and the Sea. They say there are only three basic plots - man against other men; man against nature; and man against himself. Like The Old Man and the Sea, Drop Out is about man's battle with himself, told in crisp scenes and realistic dialog that keeps the pages flowing smoothly.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, but especially those readers who enjoy an in depth study of man's battle against his own nature. If you are looking for quick reads with huge climaxes and twists and turns, this may not be the book for you but if you are looking for something that will touch you deeply and stay with you long past the final page, this is the book.
There is some sex that is somewhat graphic (and my readers know I don't like sex for the sake of sex) but it is dearly important to the story.
By Bloody Well Write
I waited a while to think about this book and how to review it. Drop Out is very different from most stories. It moves through a lot of different situations and each one is well written to perfectly fit the part of the story being told. I have seen several derelict boats just like the one Nathan called home. In fact, I may have seen someone just like Nathan rowing to shore in his dinghy just this morning. The author makes the people and places he describes become a part of your life. Next week I may not remember the book I am reading today, but I will remember Drop Out for the rest of my life. It is just that good.
By Dana Taylor (California)
A romance that begins in the disaster of the World Trade Center? The opening of this novella is riveting and disturbing as the author takes us inside the burning, imploding buildings. His vivid portrayal of the chaos and incredulity of those moments will not soon be forgotten.Ten years later, Nathan, the protaganist, is living in as much obscurity as he can find in the Florida Keys. It takes another disaster to turn his life around. The story centers on Nathan and the two women who touch his soul. This is a short piece and can be heart-wrenching at times. Ultimately, Nathan has to choose between embracing life or continuing a living death.
Soldier's Gap is a non-traditional mystery with literary elements. The high school principal is brutally murdered, but Deputy Sheriff Dave Jenkins's search for meaning and love is a much more significant theme.
"Murder isn't usually this fun
This is the trade paperback edition of the mythopoeic paranormal novel recounting the attempts of one Danny Blue and his friends to come to terms with a series of unusual events in his life. A Kindle eBook edition is also available.
