Review: Until September by Chris Scully
Note: This ARC was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Until September is the story of Archie Noblesse, who, at the age of sixteen decided it was time for him to get as far away from life as he knew it. He went on to change his name to Archer Noble, trying to sound whiter than what he actually was--a Cree who experienced poverty, abandonment, and abuse and witnessed the effects of addiction. The one person he loved was his younger sister, Marguerite, and when the widowed mother of two dies unexpectedly, Archer finds himself the primary guardian of his young nephew and niece, Dillon and Emma. But Archer being Archer--someone who doesn't believe in committed relationships and doesn't particularly like children in general--looks upon the person his sister named as the back-up guardian--elementary school teacher Ryan Eriksson as his savior. Ryan seems to know what he's doing and all Archer wants to do is hand over the legal guardianship reins to him. Ryan is reluctant, believing that Archer was named guardian for a reason, and they agree to wait until the start of the school year before any final decisions are made. But when being around each other stirs up feelings and desires that Archer didn't think were ever possible for someone like him, things become complicated.
Chris Scully has taken a number of complex issues--being a Native American in Canada, gay marriage, and guardianship over children, just to name the top free that stood out to me--and merged them into a story about love and family. Archer Noble is not an easy person to like. His opinions are difficult to swallow--but hey, that's how he earns his reputation as a blogger and writer and it's how he earns a living--but he sticks to his convictions, though at times, I wonder if he holds on to them as tightly as he does because he sincerely believes what he says and writes or if it's simply a matter of distancing himself from the idea of living a life with commitment to a partner or maybe he's kinda like a shock jock. He and Ryan Eriksson don't exactly see eye to eye and they butt heads and push each other's buttons, but they're forced to live in the same house, both for the benefit of Dillon and Emma Leblanc as well as for their own selfish reasons. Yes, selfish reasons, because Ryan gets to have, albeit temporarily, the sense of family that he's wanted for years and Archer stays around long enough to not feel guilty about pawning them off to Ryan. But let it not be said that opposites don't attract because Ryan and Archer had quite a lovely slow burn thing going.
I liked that the story progressed at the rate that it did. Nothing was rushed, along the love, trust, and respect to develop between Ryan and Archer as well as between Archer, Dillon, and Emma. While Ryan may have had the tools and the natural inclination to deal with the two children, Archer shared that sense of loss--not just of Marguerite in their lives but that feeling of innocence, Archer having had to live with the knowledge that his mother left him and Marguerite behind and then having had to endure being raped by his uncle repeatedly later on and Dillon and Emma losing both their parents at such a young age and feeling lost and anchor-less. The issue regarding the Cree and the statistics mentioned regarding Aboriginal women stunned me and had me tapping into Google to learn even more. Archer's views on gay marriage may be views that many do not agree with but it does give you something to think about, especially since the realization that while the majority may be more outspoken at times, they do not necessarily speak for everyone. And can I just say that I wasn't a fan of Kenny Lee's, even if does have Filipino blood? He wasn't a bad person but he didn't deserve to have Ryan. Until September gets 4.5 stars. ♥
Date Read: 11 February 2016
Learn more about Chris Scully.
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