DreamForge Book Review

MOHR REVIEWS

Review By Nancy Jackson

The Carrot and the Mule

Written by Joseph Foti Publish America

ISBN: 1591297575 pps 124 $17.95

The Carrot and the Mule is a somber, yet raw story of a true love gone wrong and the implications that are left with the one hurt the most. It is a very human and multi-faceted journey that provides insight to the “creature of habit” style of living we often experience. I was both disturbed and enthralled as I frantically turned the pages.

Roger is a well-to-do and bright young man, smitten by a beautiful and intelligent woman Sara, who he considers the “cream of the crop”. His love for her blinds him from everything else in his life, so much so that he puts all of her needs and wants above his own -- and suffers silently in the process. Because he tears himself away from the close situation, he is unable to admit to the problems and make the changes necessary to keep the spiral effect from happening yet again.

From early on, we learn Roger was abused by his family and placed in situations that did not allow him to trust. Very few things made him happy, but in meeting Sara, he felt everything had finally come to fruition.

Sara becomes his whole focal point and in turn he lives for nothing else, ignoring the signs and the person she is changing into. Everything he knows to be true about her, all the special qualities and traits he held so dear -- begins unraveling one by one. Even Sara’s friends and associates, an eccentric and colorful list of users, abusers, liars, and dishonest strangers, begins to corrupt his life. Only Roger can find the strength to stop the cycle of anguish before it threatens to destroy his faith in love.

Is this story very far from the truth of how many of us live our lives? I believe Joseph Foti has pinpointed a very poignant method of showing us how we can lose sight of ourselves. Not only that but we can so easily place all our hopes and dreams in others, only to be disappointed when things go wrong; or are not as we originally envisioned them to be. There is a very humble lesson to be learned from this story and it speaks right to one’s heart and soul. People fall victim to their ideals, thoughts, visions, and those of others. Often we look for someone we consider strong and above us, placing them on a pedestal and escaping from our own past and future. With Roger we go through his pain with him, wanting desperately to hold out our hand for support and tell him to wake up and see the light.

I thoroughly enjoyed this emotional ride for its realism and clarity. The author gives us a satisfying story with a surprise twist, leaving one scrambling through to the last pages. There is something to be said when an author keeps you thinking, weeks after you have put the book down.

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Nancy Jackson is an author with works in TwilightTimes, Anotherealm, Lost Souls and various anthologies including Broken Mirrors, The Labor Pool Anthology, Halloween Free Anthology by Cyber Pulp, Romancing theSoul, and the upcoming Chocolate for a Teen's Spirit. She is a reviewer for Simegen, moderator of The Horror Writers Network, poet, co-editor on a number of projects, and writes weekly columns for Useless-Knowledge.com. Her other persona is a well-published erotica author under a pen name. Agents/Publishers and readers can contact: Nancy Jackson.