2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Daydreamers by Jonathan Harper

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Daydreamers by Jonathan Harper
Gay Anthology / Collection / Contemporary General Fiction
Paperback: 164 pages
Publisher: Lethe Press (March 15, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590212967
ISBN-13: 978-1590212967
Amazon: Daydreamers
Amazon Kindle: Daydreamers

Ne'er-do-wells, prodigal sons, and young men without so much as a clue to their present state of mind let alone their futures are waiting to be met in the stories within Daydreamers, Jonathan Harper s debut collection. But these men are not Walter Mittys everyday life refuses to allow them languor. Whether it be the roll of the dice in a Dungeons & Dragons game played in a hostile, rural bar, the lure of body modification and being suspended in front of a crowd, or discovering a body on the beach, the rough edges of each young man cannot help but be noticed, even admired. And once a young man is admired, he needs to decide whether or not to awaken from his daydreams.


Extremely well-written contemporary general fiction with gritty eye for detail and solid reporting from the middle and lower classes. The characters have many problems and no easy answers. Stories themselves are not as memorable as the writing, which is terrific.

I thoroughly enjoyed Harper's prose.  A great skill of good authors is the ability to interest readers in stories and characters in which they might not normally enjoy, and Harper had that ability with me.  I found his work to be a pleasure to read, in spite of being completely out of the genres I would normally be drawn to.  His work is a great achievement for his debut.