4.5 starsI have to admit to a bit of a fascination with hoarders so this book was on my radar for a while.
Jasper is a quiet librarian living alone since the death of his mother. His house has become a prison of his own making, full of books, newspapers and magazines to such an extent that the doors to many rooms can no longer be opened and he has only small pathways to get from one place to the next. It has gotten to the point that being in the home causes him such great anxiety, he has finally gotten up the will to call for help. This help comes in the form of Lewis and Carroll, brother and sister clutter cleaners. Unknown to Jasper, Lewis was several years behind him in school and harbored a crush on him. When Jasper realizes who Lewis is he soon reveals the admiration he had for the out and proud boy Lewis was in school. Lewis has a background in psychology, but has chosen to work with his sister in their small business.
The attraction between the two men is immediate and quite apparent to all those around them. Lewis battles with not only his past history of getting too involved too fast with men he is looking to change, but the ethics of getting involved with a client, while everyone around him pushes him toward Jasper. Lewis himself has a bit of a compulsive shopping problem, leaving him with little money and living at home with his crazy parents.
The men spend their time working on Jasper's house and trying to get to the root of his need to acquire and hoard. When they can no longer resist the physical attraction Lewis tries to set some boundaries, none of which work particularly well for him.
The heart of this book, however is Jasper. Jo Myles has written a character you can't help but feel for. His loneliness and guilt are holding him prisoner. He has not had a relationship other than quick hookups and his one f**k buddy, Mas (another sweetheart of a character) and he cannot have anyone over to his home making friendships difficult. His yearning for love and friendship is so pure, I felt my gut twisting for him every time he reached out.
There are a number of well written secondary characters who form the support base of both Lewis and Jasper. I also loved the honesty between the two main characters, each trusting the other with information they have withheld from others in their world. The physical relationship between the two men has a nice slow build, different from other books I have read by the author, that I really enjoyed. I'm looking forward to reading Mas's book in the future.
