Winner of a gold medal in the 2015 Readers' Favorite Book Awards, Suanne Laqueur's astonishing debut novel follows a young man's emotional journey to salvage relationships destroyed in the wake of a school shooting.
As a college freshman, Erik Fiskare is drawn to the world of theater but prefers backstage to center stage. The moment he lays eyes on a beautiful, accomplished dancer named Daisy Bianco, his atoms rearrange themselves and he is drawn into a romance both youthfully passionate and maturely soulful. Their love story thrives within a tight-knit circle of friends, all bound by creativity and artistry. A newcomer arrives--a brilliant but erratic dancer with an unquenchable thirst for connection. And when this disturbed friend brings a gun into the theater, the story is forever changed. Daisy is shot and left seriously injured. And Erik finds himself alone in the aisle, looking down the muzzle of a pistol and trying to stop the madness. He succeeds, but with tremendous repercussions to his well-being and that of his loved ones.
Traumatized by the experience, Erik and Daisy spiral into depression and drug use until a shocking act of betrayal destroys their relationship. To survive, Erik must leave school and disconnect from all he loves. He buries his heartbreak and puts the past behind. Or so he believes.
As he moves into adulthood, Erik comes to grips with his role in the shooting, and slowly heals the most wounded parts of his soul. But the unresolved grief for Daisy continues to shape his dreams at night. Once those dreams were haunted by blood and gunfire. Now they are haunted by the refrain of a Gershwin song and a single question: is leaving always the end of loving?
Spanning fifteen years, The Man I Love explores themes of love and sexuality, trauma--physical and mental--and its long-lasting effects, the burden of unfinished business and the power of reconciliation. Through Erik's experience we reflect on what it means to be a man, a son and a leader. A soul mate, a partner and a lover. What it means to live the truth of who you are and what you feel. What it means to fight for what you love.
Winner of the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award, a gold medal in the 2015 eLit Book Awards, and currently a finalist in the 2015 Kindle Book Awards.
YOU CAN BET THAT I'VE SCOOPED UP THIS ENTIRE TRILOGY... CAN'T WAIT TO READ THESE BOOKS! YAY! SHARING THE DEALS! If you're just realizing these are on sale today... you're welcome! Ha! ~ THERESA ~
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| "What I feel has no name..." Suanne Laqueur's award-winning debut novel The Man I Lovethrilled readers with its memorable characters and depth of emotion. Erik Fiskare's journey of love, recovery and forgiveness captivated hearts but also left questions unanswered. Now Daisy Bianco has a chance to tell her story. It's been three years since a single lapse of judgment cost Daisy the love of her life. Erik was a conduit to her soul but now he's chosen a path of total disconnection, refusing to speak to her or acknowledge her betrayal. Alone and shattered, Daisy attempts to take responsibility for her actions while building her career as a professional dancer in New York City. But Erik's unforgiving estrangement proves too much for her strength. Plagued by flashbacks to the Lancaster shootings, she falls into a dangerous spiral of self-harm, cutting into her own skin as a means to atone. Only the timely appearance of an old friend, John "Opie" Quillis, saves her from self-destruction and gives her a chance to love again. Laqueur skillfully weaves flashbacks to the college years with Daisy's present life. Supported by John's patient affection, she works to separate her evolution as an adult from the unresolved guilt and grief of her youth. As her professional accomplishments lift her out of depression, Daisy learns to hold onto her accountability without letting it become her identity. Years pass and she builds a beautiful life filled with dance and friends. Lovers come and eventually go, leaving her on her own with the old thought: Come back to me. In this parallel narrative, Laqueur peels open the beloved characters from The Man I Love to reveal new and complex layers of vulnerability. The scars from the shooting are deep and pervasive within this circle of friends. Like Daisy, they are trying to evolve without being fully resolved. But when questions from the past go unheeded, you alone must find and give your answers true. "One doesn't read Laqueur's novels, you experience them... These characters are like people I know and I'm not going to forget them any time soon." --Emma Scott, author of RUSH "Laqueur crafts these characters and knows their ins and outs and bones and blood so well. As readers, we are sucked into their lives. We feel what they feel. We ache when they ache. We cry when they cry. And we miss them desperately when the story is over. This is the gift Laqueur has given to us with her writing." --Mary Frame, author of of Imperfect Chemistry and Imperfectly Criminal "Laqueur has a way of getting to the essence of a scene or character with just a few words carefully placed. They're gorgeous and sad filled with hope and hopelessness and fully intent on drawing you in. Give Me Your Answer True is the kind of book you think about long after it's over..." --Kayti Nika Raet, author of The Monster Chronicles "Five stars. Give Me Your Answer True is further affirmation that Suanne Laqueur is a truly gifted writer and knows how to create lasting memory through her superb storytelling ability." --Diane Lunsford, Feathered Quill Book Reviews |
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| “You can’t sort of do this, Fish. Draw a line and get on one side or the other...” Love is never so sweet as when it receives a second chance. In the sequel to her award-winning novel The Man I Love, Suanne Laqueur continues the story of Erik Fiskare’s romance with Daisy Bianco. Though separated for twelve years, the extraordinary bond forged in their youth has endured. But when your soulmate has caused you indescribable pain, how easy is it to forgive? How much trust is needed to place your heart back into the hands that once broke it? How much faith does it take to ask the question, "Do you still want me?" and believe in the reply: “I still want us.” Erik and Daisy commit to creating a new life together. They are separated by geography, loyal to career commitments and burdened with lingering pain from a decade spent apart. Yet despite the challenges, Erik knows Daisy is the best thing to happen to him twice. Slowly Erik earns back Daisy’s love as well as the trust of his incomparable friend, Will Kaeger. Both relationships grow deeper and more complex, as do Erik’s ties to the past. Unexpected contact with distant cousins offers new insight to the cruel childhood desertion that shaped so much of Erik’s adult life. With Daisy at his side, he travels back to his hometown to meet his people, explore his family’s history and learn about the men who wore his heirloom necklace before him. The cathedral once burned down is rebuilt. But a love affair is never a finished thing. Life is never without its tragedies. Daisy and Erik soon face a threat more harrowing than gunfire, more sorrowful than the lost years. With Will at his back and family close by, Erik must fight for the things he once walked away from and prove his love is here to stay. “Because of Laqueur's ability to smash you inside the heads of her characters, you feel and experience everything right along with Erik and Daisy. Here to Stay is honest and authentic. Never fake, forced, contrived, or overwrought. It’s a perfect conclusion: a love story fully told, nothing left unsaid or undone.” —Emma Scott, author of RUSH “Suanne Laqueur's writing is deeper than real, more than just truth. Her words are a ribbon winding themselves around you, over and under until you're tied up tight in the story. Not sure where it leaves off and you begin. Words in the hands of such a skilled writer are a powerful thing, and Laqueur proves time and time again she's worthy of our trust.” —Terri Lee, author of The Bootlegger’s Wife |
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