Title: El Cedral
Author: Kiernan Kelly
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Short Story (24 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
A Guest Review by Aunt Lynn
One Sentence Review: A sweet little story with vivid ambiance.
THE BLURB
Dr. Derek Thomas has a pediatric practice at an affluent New York Hospital that comes with all the perks — the salary, the townhouse, the car, and the handsome neurosurgeon boyfriend. When his relationship goes south, so does Derek, but will he be happy with a simpler life working in a Mexican clinic with a man from his past?
This is a Torquere Press Charity Short. All proceeds benefit Doctors Without Borders.
THE REVIEW
Set in the historic Yucatan and poverty-stricken locale of El Cedral on Cozumel, Mexico, the story opens with Derek arriving in the hot, dusty town to help out a good med school friend and former lover, Juan. Juan operates a pediatric clinic and is in need of a second doctor temporarily as he looks for a replacement of his recently-deceased medical partner. Grateful for a break from and disillusioned with the comfortable life of a prestigious doctor in New York City and to distance himself from the breakup of his relationship with Peter, he is happy to take a sabbatical and give Juan a hand. When Peter shows up to try and talk him out of it, what will Derek choose: the easy life or a challenge that has made him feel more useful and alive than he has ever been?
This is a very sweet, well-writen little story that sucked me in, had the characters coming to life off the page for me, and is strong in the theme of discovering what is important in life. Is money and prestige and perks worth as much as we think? That’s what Derek must decide. One thing that made this book for me — even more than the protags, I think — was the ambiance and character of the surroundings — the town, and the heat — which made them part of the cast.
The entire area was coated with a patina of age. The roads were poured concrete, cracked and baked white under the tropical sun. Roofs were tin or thatch, or flat adobe. For all the lush foliage on the island, there was little grass to speak of. Most of the yards visible from the road were comprised of sand. Beach front property, Derek thought, sans the ocean.
The only niggle I had is I wish I would have gotten to know Juan just a little better. The single scene with Peter gave me everything I needed to know about that jerk…oh, I mean character, but Juan seemed slightly less than fully-fleshed. Seems like a nice guy, but I just wanted a teensy bit more.
OVERALL
My second read of the anthology was a good one. Recommended to readers of the genre who like short, pretty sweet stories with vivid surroundings.
Oh, I’ve heard good things about this one, and I do love short and sweet reads on occasion. Great review, Aunt Lynn.
I really loved the setting for this one. Very evocative and I loved how Derek changed from prissy city boy to accepting the “realism” of life outside of his high power high paid life in the city. It would be nice to get a better picture of Juan but I liked this one a lot.