I think what I enjoyed most about this story was the narration from Jake's POV throughout. What Can Be starts with Jake returning to his childhood home, and then slowly shows you the circumstance that prevented him from going back sooner through flashbacks and memories. Mary Calmes has this uncanny ability to weave stores together for beautifully broken characters and pull you into the story from the start. Everything comes full circle when the separation from Craig takes it's toll on Jake and the nightmares he thought he'd overcome resurface. Coincidentally, Jake returns home and is reminded of his life as Eli, which also reminds him of why he's living his life as Jake in the first place. Many years later, Jake (Eli) is on the move again, leaving the home he shares with his long term partner, Craig, unable to explain exactly why he left. Which character – as performed by Robert Nieman – was your favorite?Įli - Calmes wrote this skiddish young man that's afraid to love, afraid to form attachments and Nieman captured all that raw emotion with voice, tones and inflections.ĭid you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?Īs a teenager, Eli accompanies his mother on summer trip, leaving his father and two older brothers behind, and never returns. What was one of the most memorable moments of What Can Be?

Nieman's narration, of course, bringing these characters to life. What made the experience of listening to What Can Be the most enjoyable? All in all I enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Sure, I would have preferred a bit more on that end, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the narration on a whole.

I'm a bit bummed that he didn't really do character voices, which would usually worry me, but he delineated enough in his tone that I wasn't confused when multiple characters were conversing.

I enjoyed his style he was really good at conveying the emotional depth of the story and characters and he brought out the angst of the storyline without making it a caricature. Please note: This is classic Calmes - where the main character - Eli/Jake - is beautiful and beloved by all, and.well if you're a Calmes fan you know how it goes. If I have one complaint it's that I would have liked for the end to have been fleshed out a bit more, but that's more about me being greedy and wanting more of these characters than anything else. I love that there's quite a bit of emotion packed into this novella and that it also includes a sprinkling of angst and some heated sexy times.

Where You Lead by Mary Calmes