Book: Flying Without a Net
Publisher: Interlude Press
Publication date: November 17, 2016
Length: 224 pages
Reviewed by Erin
Synopsis
Dani Perez, a secular Israeli working as a software engineer in
Boston, has never had trouble balancing his faith and his sexuality—until he
meets Avi Levine, a gay Orthodox Jew and sign language interpreter. As they
fall in love, Dani finds himself wanting Avi in his life, but he can’t
understand how Avi reconciles what his religion demands with what his body
desires. And although he wants to deny it, neither can Avi.
Despite the risk of losing Avi forever to a
religious life that objects to their love, Dani supports him through the
struggle to find an answer. Will they be able to start a life together despite
religious ideology that conflicts with the relationship they are trying to
build?
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Review
As an avid
reader (reading 5-7 books a week) there are times when I'm in the mood
for a certain kind of book. It can be something funny, something that
will tug at my emotions, even something that will keep me on the edge of
my seat ... or sometimes, I just like to read a quiet story that
follows two people as the begin a new relationship. Such is the case for
E.M. Ben Shaul's exquisite book, Flying Without a Net. Gorgeous
writing, engaging and utterly captivating characters, and a romance that
had me swooning all over the place, this book wasn't like anything I
expected, but it was just what I wanted.
The
book focuses on Dani Perez and Avi Levine, two guys who meet by chance
but are instantly attracted to one another. I was completely enchanted
from their first meeting on. This is such a gentle book, the romance is
almost innocent in it's development, due almost solely to Avi's being an
Orthodox Jew. I have to confess, my experiences with Judaism in general
are very limited. And to the extent that Avi is immersed in his, no
experience at all. I found it all so fascinating, from the way he talks,
to the way he dresses and eats and prays, I learned something new on
every single page. I will say that the use of Hebrew and Yiddish terms
was a bit challenging at times, but don't let this intimidate you in the
least. The traditions and culture of Avi and his family are just so
intriguing and interesting, you'll find yourself completely enthralled
just as I was.
The
writing is gorgeous in this book. It's quiet with no action or drama,
just the struggle of Avi coming to terms with being gay while being
devoutly religious and Dani wanting nothing more than to support Avi and
love him. Their interactions are so sweet, but not to the point of
saccharine or sappiness. Avi's journey to acceptance of himself and his
faith were just so lovely. I loved Dani's complete willingness to be
there for Avi, to not push and to not try to change him. It was hard for
him at times, sure, but it's realistic. All of the secondary characters
were well developed and played an integral part of the story. And can I
just say I adored Avi's brother, Jake! He was just so fantastic.
As
always with an Interlude Press book, the writing is spectacular, the
story flows well, and the characters simply jump off the page. And let's
not forget the fabulous cover?! IP has some of the best ones out there.
Be sure to check this one out, people! We need diverse books, full of
characters and settings and religions we might not always be exposed to.
E.M. Ben Shaul's novel is wonderful and I am so excited to see what he
writes next!
Excerpt
May
the words of my lips match the words of my heart.
* * *
Avi looked at him, concern plain on
his face. “What is it, Dani? Are you all right?”
“I'm fine.
I just realized that I really needed to tell you now.”
“Tell me
what, Dani?”
“I love
you. You're… you are the best person I've ever met, and I'm proud and humbled
to call you my boyfriend.”
He paused,
part of him wondering why this was all spilling out now. It's not as if he hadn't
known, probably since Avi's bike accident, that he loved Avi, but he hadn't
been ready to say anything. And what he'd said to Avi was true—he wasn't saying
this because he expected to receive anything in return or to hear anything
specific from Avi.
In that moment,
he wasn't sure what Avi would say or how Avi would react. The silence, though
it had only been seconds long, was making Dani twitchy.
“Avi?” Dani
was terrified that Avi would see his declaration of love as manipulative, as a
ruse to try to get Avi back into bed, which it wasn't at all. “I… I don't
expect you to say it back. I don't want you to feel compelled to express
feelings you don't actually feel just because I said it. It's just that, while
I was sitting in the bedroom trying to give you space and time to process, all
I could think about was how much I wanted to wrap my arms around you and hold
you and make you comfortable and happy.”
“Oh, chamudi, I…” Avi put his head on Dani's shoulder. “I love you
with all my heart. I feel like I've loved you forever.”
Interview
List the first
five things you would do if you suddenly had millions of dollars.
If I suddenly had
multiple millions of dollars, I would do the following, probably in about this
order:
1.
Pay
off my outstanding debts, including our mortgage, so that we wouldn’t have to
worry about them any longer.
2.
Buy a
house with a back yard that our kids could play in. It doesn’t have to be a
huge back yard, but I would want a place where they could put a climbing
structure and some swings and still have somewhere to sit under a tree and read
when they wanted to do that.
3.
Invest
some so that we’ll have enough to send both of our daughters to college without
taking out significant loans. Because we have twins, we will be doing college
at the same time for both of them, which means twice the cost. Having the money
grow to allow them to go to the colleges they want to attend without having to
worry about the cost would be a wonderful thing. Right now, when they’re seven,
they barely understand the concept of college, but I’d love to be able to
remove that future burden for them.
4.
Take
the family on a trip, probably to Israel. I’d love to take my husband and kids
to the places in Israel that were important to me when I lived there, and I’d
love to see how they react to seeing the country. I’d really like to take them
to the Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, right on the Red Sea, where
the fish watch you as much as you watch the fish.
5.
Buy an
apartment building and set it up such that our friends who are having trouble
affording life in the Boston area can live there rent-free or for significantly
below market rate. The Boston area can be very expensive to live in, and we
have a number of friends who have moved out of town because they can’t afford
to live locally anymore. We’d love to be able to have them back near us, so if
us buying a place where they can live and not have to pay as much, that would
be wonderful.
6.
(Bonus)
My musical brain has been saying that the only correct answer to this question
comes from the Barenaked Ladies: a house, furniture, a K car, a tree fort, a
tiny fridge (with prewrapped sausages), a fur coat (but not a real fur coat),
an exotic pet, John Merrick’s remains, a limousine, Kraft Dinner, a green dress
(but not a real green dress), some art, and a monkey.
About the Author
E.M. Ben Shaul lives in many communities. An
Orthodox Jew and writer of gay fiction, E.M. lives in the simultaneously
gay-friendly and Jewish-friendly Boston area with her husband and twin
daughters. A technical writer by day and freelance editor by nights and weekends,
E.M. likes to knit, cook and coin neologisms. E.M. seeks to explore the seeming
conflict between religious teachings and the heart’s desires.
Flying Without a Net will be published by Interlude Press on
November 17, 2016. Connect with author E.M. Ben Shaul at embenshaul.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/EMBenShaul and on Twitter at @embenshaul.
Giveaway
Grand Prize $25 IP Gift Card + Multi-format eBook of Hold // Five winners receive Flying Without a Net eBook
Thanks for having me and for your kind words about my book! I will be back later if anyone has any questions.
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