I don’t regularly share book reviews because I think there are a lot of great sites that do this far better than me. However, every once in awhile I read a book that I really like and want to share with others.
Earlier this year, I paid a visit to Boston’s sole remaining LGBT Bookstore, Calamus Bookstore, and picked up a handful of books. One of those books was Joseph Olshan’s The Conversion. I thought this story about Russell Todaro – a young American translator who wakes up in a hotel in Paris to find his lover (a world renowned poet) has died in his sleep – hard to put down.
Russell’s story unfolds in a villa in Italy after he accepts an unexpected offer from a celebrated Italian author to recover from the shock. While in Italy, Joseph Olshan shares more about Russell’s quest for love and overcoming a persistent writer’s block that he (Russell) learns his former lover attributed in his yet unfinished memoir to his fixation on failed relationships – Ouch!
Joseph Olshan lives in Vermont and is perhaps best known for his books, Nightswimmer and Clara’s Heart. You can learn more about the book and the author, here.
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