Tales from the Bottom of My Sole

Tales from the Bottom of my sole by David Kingston Yeh is the sequel to the author’s first novel, A Boy at the Edge of the World, a fact I didn’t know going into the novel, but I’m not sure it detracted from my reading experience because the characters already had such depth in the novel and I could fall right into the story and the characters day-to-day lives.

This book follows the lives of Daniel, his boyfriend David, and their surrounding group of friends and family. I find this book hard to give a synopsis of, as it is not plot-driven, but we follow the various events and conversations David has living in Toronto. We follow the small dramas of family reunions, couples exploration into sex and intimacy, investigations into sexuality – as a side note, as well as the main characters being gay, David’s brother is a trans man and Daniel’s close friend is asexual, and these characters are given space to speak about their experiences. Identities shift and are made and remade in the novel.

My favourite books always tend to be quiet books, with low stakes and high investment in character studies, and this was no exception. I liked reading Daniel’s introspection; I liked getting to just exist with the characters in both mundane moments and moments of high emotional intensity. It was beautiful to experience how the many strands of our friends and loved one’s lives weaved with Daniel’s own; this type of episodic storytelling reminds us we are all connected, that we never just exist in our own minds, but we live on in the mind and stories of others.

Overall, this is a novel about reconciliation, acceptance, and the small wonders of human connection. I gave this book 4 stars.