Absolution has to be earned. I treated the phrase like a mantra.
Sasha Marcus is a victim of cancel culture, after a horrifying incident, leaving the former “internet sensation, social media sweetheart and the face of Abandon” (a skin care and wellness regime), forced into taking a job at a fusion restaurant to ‘cushion the blow’ from the fall out. There is nowhere to hide, though, from the raging, men’s rights protestors shouting outside her apartment, causing even more conflict in her life. Everyone has turned on her, believing Lucas Devry, whose act has spoken brutally and violently loud. With her future hanging by a thread, she turns to her old friend Dyson- who comes to the rescue just when she lost hope and thought that he, too, had turned away from her.
Dyson, the man who shared their moody teenage years in a solidarity of suffering. Dyson was once a chubby boy whose self-debasement made his ‘fat boy body’ less of a target. Laugh with them and you’re ahead of the cruel game. It is Sasha who was privy to his real world, the toxicity of a father who can’t seem to stomach a ‘soft bellied’ son. Body issues have followed him like a mean shadow into adulthood, and could well be the seed for birthing a cult. With his acting career built mostly on commercials and background roles, and the brief stroke of inexplicable success in small appearances having eventually dried up, he has an idea burning within his brain that may save them both! This, this is going to be more than just a new passion! Dyson is going to open a rehabilitation community for men, having inherited land through his father’s parents. A secluded place that was once intended as a summer camp, can easily house clients. It is perfect for his plan, here twelve men will detox from society, be handled with love and care and finally escape the world that has deeply damaged them with it’s demands and hard luck. Angry, emotionally stunted men that can be rehabilitated before they alienate their family and the rest of the world. Away from the rage triggers, they can learn to love, thrive in structure, learning to be tender human beings. He is invested in society’s men, and she can help him!
With “man hordes” taking over the country, this is a cause that may help her star rise again, but how will she handle being surrounded by men as toxic as the protestors who have been stalking her? Dyson isn’t without fault himself, despite his passion, he too can be manipulative, a trait she blames herself for. But there is nothing to be done, there is no other life waiting for her beyond this chance, which may well be her last. What follows is a provocative, intelligent story. Who really knows how absolution is earned and more importantly, who gets to decide the people that deserve it? Is masculinity a ship to be steered? Is Sasha a victim or a bully herself? Many lines are crossed in looking for salvation. What is pain for men? How do they process it, what does it mean to be tough? Are women, like Sasha, as tender and fair minded as she thinks? Does she ever empower herself at the expense of a man? What could the world be like without masculinity? Isn’t ambition, too, a toxic thing? Should anyone attempt to refine another? How much control does it require, and what must those seeking rehabilitation sacrifice?
This is artful manipulation, and it is a novel with interactions that are agonizing in many respects. Provocative, engaging with parts comedy and horror, at least in my mind. What a unique read! This could kick of some interesting conversations.
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
Atria Books
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