Can a person's life change in just one day? How about seven?
This is the story of seven pivotal days in Evan Donaldson's life. Evan was a teenage street hustler when Father Valentin talked him into coming to Saint Bartholomew's Academy. In that one day, Evan's entire life changed. That's the day he met his roommate, Clay Mueller, and the day Evan began to live. But Evan's life would change again and again, from abuse to first love, to separation and heartbreak, and eventually to starting his own family. Through it all, whenever a door closed for Evan, a window opened, and the window was Clay.
From the first day of finding faith and connecting with Clay through their relationship's twists and turns, this is a glimpse into seven decisive days and the critical, amazing way a single moment can change destiny.
Let me start by saying that Andrew Grey is an amazing writer in that he never seems to stop writing and he always has something new and fresh to say. I have yet to be disappointed by him and yet he still continues to constantly put out new books.
This time he deal with how a person’s life can change and I was pulled in on the very first page. Evan Donaldson worked the streets selling his body while still in his teens. Things changed when he met Father Valentin who convinced Even to come to Saint Bartholomew’s Academy and get an education and when he agreed, a new world opened for him. He met his roommate, Clay Meuller, and Evan realized that he had done the right thing. Father Valentin proved to be the catalyst that would bring Even to understand that there was a better life off of the street.
What I love the most about this book is that it brings two very important issues together—sexuality and faith. There is room for us in the faith-based community if we just take the time to explore the options. Evan had faced a life that was filled with abuse but when he had the chance to change things, he did and that made all the difference. If he not listened to Father Valentin, he would not have met Clay and even though their relationship would face problems, things became so much better for him. The book looks at seven days and how they really made a boy into a man and how it does not take much to find what one is looking for. Granted, seven days may seem a bit unrealistic but this is a novel and be it seven days or seven years, it shows that fate and luck can cause us to have a better life.
