The Weight of it All, by N.R. Walker

[Ulysses]

The Weight of it All
By N.R. Walker
BlueHeart Press, 2016

One of my favorite authors from Down Under, N.R. Walker has produced in “The Weight of it All” a sweet, heartfelt story about finding love after rediscovering yourself.

Henry Beckett has just been dumped by his live-in boyfriend of eight years, who told him he’s old and fat. While I roll my eyes over 35-year-olds imagining themselves to be old (just wait, kids), Henry is a very sympathetic character. On the surface an easy, fun-loving sort of guy with careless eating habits, Henry is really a little more complex than that. There is a quiet lack of self-esteem that runs deep in Henry’s soul, and his boyfriend’s departure is both emotionally shattering, and a wake-up call.

Enter Reed Henske, who is assigned to Henry as a personal trainier when he joins a gym to lose some weight and try to get more fit. Reed is porn-star beautiful and a veritable god in terms of fitness. But he’s a lot more than just a pretty face and a great body.

Walker has been very careful not to get preachy, nor to become a shrill supporter of dieting and gym attendance as a pathway to happiness. The book is really about changing your outlook on the world, and judging people by who they are, not who you imagine they might be.

Henry is funny and engaging as a character; just as Reed is sweet and gentle, harboring his own insecurities, however invisible they might be on the surface. The secondary characters in the story are nicely drawn and believable. These are the kind of friends that nice people have, and their presence bolsters our belief in both Henry and in Reed.

Walker is very good at this. Her books never disappoint and always charm. Plus, I want to go to Australia.