I’m usually not the best at taking my thoughts and making them seem sensible on paper, but I thought I would give it a try. I started Without You last night and just finished it. It’s weird. It affected me a lot more than I thought it would and put me in this mood where I’m not really sure what to do exactly. Maybe that’s why I’m writing this. Maybe I just want to get some stuff out. This isn’t going to be a review, because after the emotional ride I just got off, there’s no way I could “critique” Anthony’s writing, nor would I want to.
Anthony is so truthful. His writing is pure and honest and brave. I honestly hope people don’t see him in a different light because of some of the things he brings up in Without You. As LariTheLoud and Emcee had mentioned earlier in their “musings”, you almost feel like this is something you shouldn’t be reading. It is so personal. At times, I felt like I was secretly reading a journal and was waiting to be caught.
I clearly knew Anthony was a good writer from his posts here, but he is such a TALENTED writer. It amazes me to think that before he started posting here, I had never known that he has such a great and natural way with words – that he was simply a voice on my OBCR. He is not only talented with his actual words, which are vivid and so descriptive. The way the book is formatted, the way that flashbacks and little stories weave in and out through the bigger picture was just – I don’t know, something that was just done so well.
Anthony used his words so wisely. He uses them as tools to tell his tale. There were stories that I had heard before, such as Jonathan’s death, yet, I felt like I was hearing it for the first time. He really knows the way to pull his reader in. I felt like I was being guided along side by side.
The book is so touching, and at times, truly tragic. I don’t think I’ve ever been so affected by a book as I was with Without You. I finished my box of tissues, if that gives you any idea. Anthony just laid his flesh out on the table. He held nothing back, and it took a lot of courage for him to do that. There are things that I didn’t expect, that surprised me a little bit about his character, but if anything, seeing Anthony come through all of these situations only upped my respect for him as an actor, as a writer, and as a person.
I think this is the type of book you can pick up ten times, and still be affected and find something different that grabs you.
So, yea, I hope that made some type of sense. It's a great read and I'm sure you guys will love it.
I recognize the addiction to being alive.
