This is the story of Michael Peter Loucks, A faithful, Russian Orthodox teenager, who has lived his entire life in the fictional town of West Monroe, in Harding County, Ohio. This fictional town and county lie in Southern Ohio, about ninety minutes from Cincinnati and forty-five minutes from Columbus. It takes place in the same universe as my series 'A Well-Lived Life'. The story develops slowly. The story focuses heavily on religion and Orthodox spirituality.
Size: 2392 KB (453,575 words)
Genre: Coming of Age
Sex Contents: Minimal Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, Ma/ft, Teenagers, Consensual, Heterosexual, School, First, Oral Sex, Petting, Slow
Review by Ryan Sylander [other reviews by Ryan Sylander]
Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
To do, or not to do: that is the pervasive question in this first book about college-bound Mike Loucks. How many of us come to an erotic literature site looking for a story about a staid eighteen-year-old virgin that is a devout member of a Russian Orthodox church? Probably none of us, but that shouldn’t stop you from reading this interesting tale. The story is contained within the author's long-running AWLL universe, although familiarity with the AWLL series of stories is not necessary here; you might miss a few amusing side references, but Mike and his gang are self-contained.
The main character is an interesting fellow. At the start of the story, he drives a cool car, but one gets the feeling that he has never peeled out in it. Early on, he gets to second base, but it’s on a balk. And he likes to talk; the story is heavy on long conversations, which are skillfully written.
For the main thrust of the story, the author sets up a moral Cold War between traditional Russian Orthodox beliefs and modern American hedonism; the battles mostly play out on the fields of logical discourse and introspection. As the title implies, Mike wants to be a doctor. His personality and mode of living are clinically analytic in almost every respect. This includes his view of his own religious beliefs, and perhaps it’s because of this diagnostic devoutness that I didn’t fully connect with Mike on this facet of his life. He clearly benefits from his faith, and many rites and services are described, but it’s hard to know if Mike truly feels a deep spiritual resonance or if he simply finds practical comfort in the praxis with which he was raised. That said, this is the first book of many, and he is only eighteen, after all, so this facet may be developed in the future. And by the end of this book, one can perhaps start to guess at the answer.
This mental minefield that Mike must navigate is set against a plot that is heavy with dark and challenging situations, as well as outright threats to the fine line that he must toe to reach his dream of becoming a trauma surgeon. These plot developments are well-done and help drive the story. And then there are the girls, of course…
This story is challenging, frustrating, and rewarding. It’s challenging, because it takes effort to get both into and out of Mike’s head. Despite the thorough (and occasionally repetitive) introspective analysis of his complicated situation, this is a first-person story, and Mike’s logic is rarely a reliable substitute for the wisdom of experience. Conversations with other characters aren’t always what they seem. His struggles with reconciling hormones, faith, and career, coupled with his family’s dynamics, make for a very interesting ethical landscape. So a challenge, yes, and worthwhile.
It is also frustrating, because the introduction of new characters (females, in particular) seems to rely on a singular template. We know that there’s to be a payoff, but several times my reaction was that she starts out talking and acting just like the last girl did. The thing is, the story has real depth, so it is somewhat frustrating to have new characters enter the narrative through the same one-dimensional slot.
And finally, the novel is rewarding, because all the significant characters do develop and blossom into distinct beings that serve to help Mike mature, even as they themselves go through their own struggles and changes. So, yes, patience is required at times, until each newcomer separates herself from the common archetype she starts in. Ultimately, there are some loveable characters here, and their trials, defeats, and victories are palpable.
As mentioned, the book is the first of many (perhaps seven or more), so expect some plot threads to be resolved while others remain open for future exploration. Most likely, the main theme will continue: to do, or not to do. At first, ‘her’ after ‘do’, but eventually, ‘I’ before ‘do’? We shall see!
