Jonathan Solomon

An office worker by day, an over-active imagination by night. Jonathan enjoys theatre and reading in his often hard-to-find spare time.

Read more of this interview.

Website: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9880927.Jonathan_Solomon

ballet    circus    contemporary    fiction    flowers    gay    hair salon    hearing loss    humour    literature    love    mystery    novella    office    play    poison pen letters    private school    real estate    running    self help    suburbia    sydney    theatre    trapeze    wedding    wedding cake    whodunnit    work life balance    workaholic    yoga   

• Conversations with an Angel on Nov. 03, 2018
  
  Short and sweet is how I would describe this collection of three short stories. The first story, "Conversations With An Angel" is a very comforting read in what appears to be a difficult situation where Jamal is torn between his strong mother and his boyfriend Farnham. Jamal is embroiled in a kind of tug-of-war. It is only when Jamal speaks to Guy, the next-door neighbor/angel, that he knows which decision to be made. In a way, this story is incredibly sad, but offers potential wisdom in such a scenario. The second story "Just Being Adam" is a tale of overcoming the loss of a close relationship and allowing yourself to relax. The third story "Her Cat was Yesterday's News Feed" is an amusing but deeply disturbing story. I can sense that Kevin Klehr is worried about how an obsession with social media is destroying any form of intimacy between living beings. This collection of short stories were a pleasure to read.
  
• His Change in Heart on Nov. 05, 2018
  
  I enjoyed reading this intense short story about Theo's spiral downwards after his boyfriend Mark revealed he had been unfaithful. John River cleverly uses language that expresses the distortion and free-fall moments that Theo is feeling as well as the gloomy urban ambience. Well-written.
  
• Loving a Straight Boy on Nov. 05, 2018
  
  This was a really fun and cheeky read. 2 BFFs since kindergarten (1 straight, the other gay) are watching TV together. I enjoyed how a push-pull dynamic was written between the compassionate/understanding straight man with clear boundaries while the gay man seeks to somehow test those boundaries. To me this work comes across as fantasy writing and I am unsure such a scenario can exist in real life, which makes this piece so interesting.
  
• Classified Connection on Nov. 05, 2018
  
  I took away an interesting plot (there were good twists) and also a story that had trans* voices. I really liked reading about the tension and history between Aron and Dan. The author's bio was also enlightening to read.
  
• Quench on Nov. 05, 2018
  
  Interesting dystopian story which starts off with Bryan surviving an influenza pandemic as he survives on visiting people-less supermarkets.
  
• Pew on Nov. 06, 2018
  
  Written from the perspective of Tom, a young child, this short story is about the experience of attending a church service. John River's writing is nuanced, at times hilarious and at other times disturbing. I appreciate the depth of concepts written about as well as the family dynamic described.
  
• The Party in the Mist on Nov. 08, 2018
  
  This short story took me by surprise. What started out as a fairly unassuming winter scene took a turn for the unexpected. The story takes off when the older man meets the younger Oliver at a party in the mist. Quirky and scary.
  
• Pastry Heart on Nov. 08, 2018
  
  This was a very cute story. It was like reading right in the middle of a happily ever after tale. I actually liked the back story behind Sam the barista and Jack the lawyer (plus aspiring writer). Really enjoyed how the author navigated parental expectations and how these may or may not get in the way of a child's happiness.
  
• One Way In on Nov. 12, 2018
  
  As part of the Real Story Safe Sex Project, Matthew Browning has written a well-balanced story on both the thrills of meeting up with a hot guy as well as the health scares that such encounters may cause. The characterisation was good and it was made clear that Ryan was not a nice guy at all, despite all of his attractive features. I also liked the character of Ethel. This story, I felt, captured well how easy it is to lose friends and how life can change rapidly.
  
• Color Me on Nov. 12, 2018
  
  This was such a novel premise and I was quite eager to read this e-book. How many books do you know have two protagonists that sign? On the one hand you have Ryan, who has a special gift for seeing colours (auras?) around certain people and also happens to be a colour consultant. Then you have Jonah, who works at a bar and swims to keep fit while also dealing with a sore ankle. It is a love story but one that encounters many communication difficulties from not being upfront and clear about certain things. Interesting concept.
  
• Sunrise on Birdcage Walk, and Other Flash Fiction Stories on Nov. 12, 2018
  
  I can't tell you how much I loved reading Stuart Page's "Sunrise on Birdcage Walk, and Other Flash Fiction Stories". It's like you have been presented with an exotic box of handmade and unique stories that cover a variety of flavours. The writing is rich and creamy, and even though the stories are very short, they are deeply satisfying in their originality, quirkiness and absurdity. My favourite stories were "Oh, God" and "You Only Hold Me When You're Cold".A David Sedaris in the making.
  
• Emergence on Nov. 12, 2018
  
  This was a really heartfelt short story. It follows a school student, Will Shepherd, who is battling with himself (almost tormenting himself) over a truth he cannot face about his identity. Family dynamics are brought in as Will is worried about what his older brother Tom really thinks of him. An honest story about how family can help you get through difficult times.
  
• Ms. Wilder's Package on Jan. 08, 2019
  
  This short, quirky and thoughtful tale follows a man, reliant on his crutches due to a bad leg, who has received a package on behalf of his neighbour, Ms Wilder. You can feel the struggle is real for the protagonist as he leaves his house (aka comfort zone) to alert his neighbour about this package, but a delivery person-to-person was not successful. Added to the quirkiness of this tale is a relationship between the protagonist and the package itself. A discovery takes place and the reader is somewhat surprised as the transformation that takes place. Stuart Page has a very precise and clear way of writing, which is a breath of crisp and fresh air.
  
• Bathrooms & Psychiatric Offices on Jan. 08, 2019
  
  The title of this novella intrigued me and I thought I see what this book was about. I was not disappointed. What struck me was how the writing really drew me into the story. This novella follows a connection between an uptight and extremely anxious vet, Alex, with the widowed and wealthy woman, Lily. Both Alex and Lily seemingly take an attraction to each other but they take things slowly, as they try to figure each other out before they reveal their true selves and intentions, but most importantly their pasts. The writing is dialogue heavy, but I did not think this was necessarily a negative. Sasha McCallum uses this style to explore a large range of topics and to reveal the nuances that Alex and Lily each have. However, adding more details about the surrounding environment could give this work more atmosphere as well as subtlety to what the characters are thinking and feeling. This could also assist with context (at beginning of chapter 5, I wasn't sure where this conversation was taking place). An altogether intense and dramatic story about how people deal with their insecurities and what this means in a burgeoning relationship.