I won’t lie – I mainly picked this title because of the author’s name (shout out to the CJ’s!) and the fact that there is an adorable orange cat on the front cover that looks very much like MY adorable orange cat. I figured with the stars aligning like that, I HAD to read this book.
Honestly, the book description didn’t intrigue me that much (mainly because it didn’t offer much plot reveal—more on that in a bit), but I usually don’t read books with homosexual main characters, so the idea of going outside my usual tipped me over the edge, and I clicked to order Stray City, by Chelsey Johnson, from the library.
(Amendment: I guess I do read a lot of books with gay main characters, though many of those involve the gay male best friend archetype. I’ve not read many in which the protagonist is gay, and a lesbian. The closest I can think of is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugeindes, which isn’t even that close but is amazing, and probably is one of the best novels I have ever read. Go read it. Now. Skip the rest of this blog and go read Middlesex now. I won’t be offended.)
I feel this book gave me a lot more than I expected, in both good ways and bad, and also not enough of what I was hoping for. For example, the cat so prominently displayed on the cover doesn’t get nearly enough screen time, if you ask me. I realize this is a minor point against the merits of the book, though, so I will move on to more crucial discussion.
First, you should know that I feel whoever wrote the jacket copy for this book should be fired, or at least put on probation pending further review of his/her work. It’s so misleading, and in the worst possible way – the brief, trite description makes it sound like the main character, Andy, who is a professed and certain lesbian, accidentally has a one-night stand with a man while in a drunken stupor, and that this results in a baby. It’s painted as a total “But it was only one time!” kind of moment. A whoops-a-daisy incident that’s easily written off.
In reality, she has a protracted affair with the baby daddy (ugh, I hate that term, but it’s appropriate here) prior to the impregnation. Affection grows for him and in their relationship, making her doubt everything she’s believed to be true about herself and what she’s battled and given up in order to live her life the way she does. This is an incredibly interesting and important part of the story, and I feel it’s a real lure to any reader—but the book is mainly marketed as just another “single woman suddenly finds herself pregnant” book without a deeper hook.
As a straight woman, I’ve never given much thought to how alarming it must be to find yourself suddenly attracted to the opposite of what you’ve always been attracted to. Even more confusingly, while Andy’s sudden heterosexual attraction feels wrong to her, it’s exactly what many people, incuding her judgemental family, have told her is right. Being in a relationship with a man could re-open certain doors for her, but it could also put an abrupt end to everything she’s built and the person she feels she truly is. Andy’s feelings of confusion and desire as she navigates her affair and her role within it are achingly familiar. We’ve (almost) all been in that relationship that we try to convince ourselves is what we want, even though, deep down, we know it doesn’t feel right. Gay or straight, it’s a universal theme.
That said, Part 1, over which this amusingly illicit, heterosexual affair occurs, seems a bit too long. There’s a lot of inaction and indecision that frankly wears itself out long before it winds its way to an end and moves on to something a little more intriguing. Part 2 is blessedly shorter, though the same relationship waffling occurs, this time from the baby daddy’s viewpoint. Nothing gained there.
Part 3, however, is my favorite, and that’s what yanked this book up in my overall estimation.
Part 3 is where you were hoping things would lead for Andy—or, at least, where I was hoping things would lead for her. I love where Andy ended up. I love her family and her friends. I love her life. I love that it gave me hope for a lot of things in my own life. I especially loved the ending of Part 3 because it left everything open to so much possibility. It’s kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure book; you decide where Andy & Co goes after you turn the last page. Things are kind of set up for you, but the only one who really knows what happens is you (and the author, of course).
Overall, this was a book that I enjoyed, though it’s not one I kept excitedly running back to. More times than not, I had to force myself back – at least, until Part 3. Maybe if I had known how much more in depth Part 1 is (ahem, copywriter) I would have been more excited for all that took place in the beginning. Hopefully, after reading this review, you’ll be better prepared than I to take this one on and enjoy the entire book a little more than I did from the get-go.
How do you usually decide what books to read? Do you judge a book by its cover 100% of the time? Do you rely on back cover descriptions? Or, do you only read books recommended by friends and family (or your favorite book and food blogger, perhaps?) *wiggles eyebrows suggestively* Let me know in the comments below!
And, stay tuned for the recipe inspired by Stray City – Roasted Acorn Squash with Turkey, Craisin, and Brown Rice Stuffing!
