This was an emotional and intriguing read, and I enjoyed it enough to continue. Not sure I would read another from this author though. Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

This was an interesting read with a colorful cast of characters.
Many thanks to By The Pure Sea Book and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book goes to some really dark places and the author can paint a vivid picture of these. This ability to make things very real is to the author’s credit but it may be a bit confronting for some readers.

The Journey
by Mark Rasmussen
I LOVED the cover.
Raiden, an emotionally troubled 40-something guy at a major turning point, undertakes an epic road trip adventure across North America, all with the aim of escaping the single most transformative event of his life – imminent fatherhood.
While he does his best to find himself, the impactful events he experiences along the way will reveal more about Raiden and his nature than the strange assortment of characters he meets on his overland odyssey.
'The Journey is a story that no matter how far you run, your demons always follow.
This had way too many characters in the book. It was slow and depressing. Sorry by the end, I was just worn thin.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! Much appreciated.

-.-

The Journey tells the story of Raiden undergoing a midlife crisis after he finds out that his girlfriend, Clea, is pregnant. Raiden has struggled in coming to terms with his own father’s failings, a burden he takes with him on this new journey to fatherhood. Feeling at loss, Raiden ups and leaves his pregnant partner to travel across the United States and hopefully reconnect with a long-lost lover in Los Angeles.

Every time I read a book that details a man going on a journey, I always think about Homer’s Odyssey. It’s the classicist in me, and this is no exception. One might argue that the Odyssey is a man struggling to get back from adventures to the domestic space with his wife and child, while The Journey is a man struggling to escape the domestic life and head towards adventure. The Journey, though, shifts destinations towards the end of this book; we see Raiden endure a change of heart and decide to own his trauma so he could be a better father for his son.

I want to address why I did give this two stars. I had some serious issues with how this book characterized its female characters and sole gay character. One issue I have always had with Homer’s Odyssey is the way the female characters (Circe, Calypso) are sidelined to props that Odysseus uses to further his journey, plot devices that result in Odysseus’ self determination at the cost of their own character development. I had this same issue in The Journey. We have three prominent female characters in The Journey: Clea (the girlfriend, whom we never see but hear about), Brianna (the sassy sex worker who accompanies Raiden on the first leg of his journey), and Araceli (the online lover who sends Raiden on his way back home). These women are all given long physical descriptions; they are “exotically mixed-raced” with “taut Latina butts” and “long legs,” and, frankly, that is all they are. These women are all collateral damage in Raiden’s emotional journey; Clea is left by him while pregnant with his child, Brianna is led on by him and never heard from again, and Araceli has old wounds being reopened, so Raiden can be sure he wants to go back to Clea. They are lusted over and wished well, but they disappear as soon as their character has their final scene. I want to be upfront and say I have no issues with male-centric stories. Many of my favorite novels are led by a male character, whose emotional journey is centered and honored above all others. There is nothing wrong with that, but there is a serious problem when female characters are utilized as devices in this journey. We should not be grateful for female pain because it results in male enlightenment.

The character of Roy is also something I have issue with. I have no problems with including a sexual assault in a book if it is necessary for the storyline. I do not see, however, why Raiden’s assault was necessary for his character development. It was a really upsetting and sickening scene to read; I felt physically ill after reading it, and it was never properly addressed in the subsequent chapters. I understand if Raiden needed to be in a peril so he could meet Mitch and Ilene, but I do not see why a sexual assault was necessary for this. It is implied that Roy is a gay man, and that explains him lusting after Raiden in the car. Sure, sometimes predators can be gay men, and there is nothing wrong with exploring that. It is troubling, however, when the sole gay character turns out to be a predator. To the same plot effect, Raiden could have been beaten up and/or mugged – two other traumatic events that do not play into this troubling stereotype – and the plot line with Mitch and Ilene taking him in would still have made sense. He still would have been given the book and have the heart-to-heart with Mitch that results in him finally verbalizing his trauma. The rape felt extraneous and problematic.

Despite these two problems, The Journey is a fast-paced read that flows very well. I really enjoyed the antics with Uncle Louie in Graceland and the descriptions of Memphis, Arkansas and Texas. Rasmussen does a great job of captivating what it is like to take a road-trip throughout the United States. I now also feel like I have gone on my own journey.