Audio Review: Rebel by Rhys Ford ~ Narrated by Tristan James

Title: Rebel

Series: 415 Ink: Book One

Author: Rhys Ford

Narrator: Tristan James

Run Time: 9 hours and 11 minutes

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: Author Rhys Ford delves into the wounded psyche like no other author, plumbing the depths of what it means to doubt oneself to the point of living with crippling low self-esteem. This was a monster of a novel to narrate in terms of differentiating voices, and Mr. James gave it his best shot. That being said, I still feel that no one can beat his ability to pace a story.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: The hardest thing a rebel can do isn’t standing up for something — it’s standing up for himself.

Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After years of running from his past, present and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, Karma delivers the one thing Gus could never—would never—turn his back on; a son from a one-night stand he’d had after a devastating break-up three years ago.

Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family’s tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together… until the firefighter who’d broken him walked back into Gus’s life.

For Rey Montenegro, tattoo artist Gus Scott was an elusive brass ring, a glittering prize he hadn’t the strength or flexibility to hold onto. Severing his relationship with the mercurial tattoo artist hurt but Gus hadn’t wanted the kind of domestic life Rey craved, leaving Rey with an aching chasm in his soul.

When Gus’s life and world starts to unravel, Rey helps him pick up the pieces, and Gus wonders if that forever Rey wants is more than just a dream.

Review: Gus lived through a horrific time when a drug addicted mother turned murderer, and he and his twin brother became her targets. Because of his stronger cousin, Bear, Gus and his younger brother, Ivo, along with two other “brothers”, made it to adulthood and now support each other no matter how much they screw up. Gus would need the family more than ever now that he’s discovered he has a son, and finally comes back home to face his one moment of madness three years before. Gus was ready to examine that time when he had been so wounded by Rey breaking up with him, that time when, in drunken need, he had turned to a girl and now wants desperately to be a dad for the result. But years of survivor guilt and screw ups left Gus with so much self-loathing that he isn’t sure he will ever be enough for the little boy or stable enough for Rey to consider taking him on once more.

Author Rhys Ford delves into the wounded psyche like no other author, plumbing the depths of what it means to doubt oneself to the point of living with crippling low self-esteem. Gus is a tortured soul whose guilt and self-recriminations nearly bury him, and so he runs, finding it easier to disappear than face the judging looks of his makeshift family. What he fails to see is how much they love him and how much they want him to be whole again. When Rey steps back into Gus’ life, it will take a great deal of honesty and forgiveness on both men’s part in order to rebuild the relationship they once had. Rebel is a story of second chances and healing, and it is a beauty to read.

The Audio: Tristan James does his best to do right by a novel that sports not just two but six distinct voices that play out in this book. Where this narrator shines is in his pacing and delivery of those beautifully descriptive prose passages this author writes so well. There is a great deal of time in this novel where dialogue is absent and emotion and inner thoughts are given in extended paragraphs that are critical to the story. It’s these times when we really get an idea of how these men came together, of how Bear managed to fight the system and get custody of them, and of how they deeply love each other and will do anything to protect their family unit. Tristan James handles these sections masterfully, using his voice as an emotional barometer to convey how important these moments are in the overall arc of the story. He gives life to Chinatown, the 415 Ink shop, and even their tired, sagging home, by using a deep timbre and rich tone that conveys the author’s love for those places and the importance her characters give them.

Unfortunately, the narrator falls short when attempting different voicings for the six male characters. While Ivo and Bear are fairly recognizable, the others, including Gus, tend to bleed together, and when all of them are talking in a scene, it’s difficult to tell them apart. For instance, the passage where the brothers are together and Gus breaks the news that he is a father became a bit of a mishmash for me when it came to figuring out who was speaking. Unless the author gave a reference as to who uttered the lines, it was next to impossible to tell Gus and Luke apart, and even Ivo and Mace sometimes ran together. This happened all too often for me to really get a feel for each individual character’s voice, and that left me a bit clueless during group dialogue scenes, and a bit frustrated. In all fairness, this was a monster of a novel to narrate in terms of differentiating voices, and Mr. James gave it his best shot. That being said, I still feel that no one can beat his ability to pace a story in such a way as to get the maximum meaning out of descriptive prose passages. I enjoyed those moments immensely.

You can buy Rebel here:
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