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Hide | Matthew Griffin
45 posts | 16 read | 50 to read
Set in a declining textile town in North Carolina, Hide is the love story of Wendell Wilson, a taxidermist, and Frank Clifton, a veteran of World War II. They meet after the war, in a time when such love holds real danger. But, severing nearly all ties with the rest of the world, they carve out a home for themselves on the outskirts of town and for decades the routine of self-reliant domesticity--Wendell's cooking, Frank's care for a yard no one sees, and the vicarious drama of courtroom TV--seems to protect them. But when Wendell finds Frank lying motionless outside at the age of eighty-three, their carefully crafted life together begins to unravel. As Frank's physical strength deteriorates and his memory dissolves, Wendell struggles in vain to keep him healthy and to hold onto the man he once knew until, faced with giving care beyond his capacity, he must come to terms with the consequences of half a century in seclusion, the sacrifices they made for each other, and the different lives they might have lived--and most especially the impending, inexorable loss of the one they had.Impossibly tender, gently funny, and gorgeously rendered, Hide is a singularly powerful debut.
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bthegood
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Pickpick

This was a beautiful love story - two men who hid their love and lives for over 50 years - it deals with the journey, but also with the ending - how do you care for each other and deal with aging in a relationship when you are cut off from the world? I thought this was a beautiful way to explore that idea.

Not sure if I got to 20 hours in #20in4 @Andrew65 but I did finish both books I wanted to finish before the month ended.

Make a great day 🙂

bthegood Some have criticized the graphic parts (two segments really dealing with animals as the MC is a taxidermist) but that is part of the story. It did not take away any of the beauty for me. (edited) 3y
WJCintron Thanks for sharing! Great review! I just stacked it!! 😃 👍 3y
bthegood @WJCintron I hope you enjoy it - 3y
29 likes1 stack add3 comments
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bthegood
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Ready for April #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

A few more hours read yesterday - some time today to read - so hope to finish tagged book #20in4 @Andrew65

Make a great day everyone 🙂

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
23 likes1 comment
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bthegood
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Currently reading books in red.
One more week to get the bingo - I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..... 🚂

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Make a great day everyone - 🙂

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Looking great!! 3y
bthegood @TheAromaofBooks thx for the support and thx for hosting - love this challenge! 3y
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bthegood
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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#ThinkPositiveBePositive @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The tagged book (Hide by Matthew Griffin) is such a beautiful story - just started it - a book I may not have normally picked up to read but saw some good reviews ( @rwmg ) - so glad I decided to check it out -

Make a great day everyone - 🙂

rwmg I hope you (enjoy is perhaps not quite the word here) it 3y
bthegood @rwmg 👍 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 3y
37 likes3 comments
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rwmg
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Honourable mention to A Bullet In The Ballet by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon

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rwmg
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Pickpick

Wendell has to cope with the mental deterioration of Frank, his partner of 60+ years, after a stroke. The habits inculcated at the beginning of their relationship, when it was absolutely necessary for them to keep it a secret, still rule their lives.

Richly descriptive, which is sometimes a good thing, and sometimes a bad thing, since Wendell is a taxidermist so we get detailed descriptions of animal injuries and the taxidermical processes.

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rwmg
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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#coffeeandabook

I started this yesterday but am wondering if it is a wise choice for airplane reading. I suspect I might get a bit weepy later.

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rwmg
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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LORD knows how long he's been lying out there: flat on his back in the middle of the vegetable garden.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

bthegood that first line made me look up the book - now its on my TBR - thanks for posting - 🙂 3y
rwmg @bthegood I hope enjoy it. I am, so far 3y
bthegood @rwmg 👍 🙂 3y
16 likes3 comments
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plemmdog
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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“And when we‘re gone, nobody will remember any of it. Nobody will see our photos and marvel that we, too, were young once; nobody will wonder about the things we never told them.” One of my picks for Pride. Griffin‘s story is a devastatingly beautiful portrait of a marriage before gay liberation. The ending wrecked me. There‘s taxidermy, too! I wish this 2015 work would‘ve received as much attention as Mostly Dead Things.

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April2
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Squeezing in a few pages before I start work 📚

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April2
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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I‘ve had lots going on lately... Tea & a book were the perfect escape 💗

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andrew61
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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#loveneedsnodisguise #NUYear
At the beginning of 2017 i listened to shawn on reading envy recommend this brilliant book- the story of two elderly men confronting their mortality at the end of their life together in which they have had to hide their love. One of my 5* readsof last year.

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ephemeralwaltz
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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#TBRtemptation post. Thanks @bookriot! This one caught my eye

"It's the story of a gay couple in their 80s, who fell in love just after WWII in rural North Carolina. In order to share a life together, they chose to cut themselves off from the world. When Frank has a stroke and Wendell is left to care for him, they're forced to confront what they've given up for each other. It's a complicated, nuanced, and searingly honest portrait of a marriage."

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tstan
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This is shaping up to be a great romance. The story is so simple- how these two men met in the 40s, and how they have grown to be an old married couple. The big difference is that they've had to hide their love for over 50 years. The author clearly cares for these two- the writing is funny and tender, even though Frank's a bit of a curmudgeon.

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wanderreader
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saresmoore
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Finished 11, Bailed on 4
Favorites: Hide by Matthew Griffin and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

February was so-so as far as reading goes, but I think March is going to be amazing! (Pardon the rushed sketch.)

Kristy_K Love this! 😍 8y
saresmoore @Kristy_K Bookish doodles are so much fun! 8y
Well-ReadNeck ❤❤❤ 8y
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LauraBeth Great month - love the sketch 😀 8y
saresmoore @LauraBeth Thanks! You had a lot of life happen this month, but still managed a redneck interpretation and some quality time with a serial killer, so I call February a win for us both! 😁 8y
Nicohlay 😍😍 8y
LauraBeth I'm putting February in the challenging but still a win column 😘 8y
saresmoore @LauraBeth You are truly an inspiration! I think of your smile emoji and your choice to laugh & hope through life when I get glum. I appreciate you, virtually, literally, and literarily! 😍🤗 8y
Cinfhen Love your graphics 💖💖💖great month and all hail the bail 🙌🏻so liberating 😊 8y
LauraBeth Thanks for your uplifting words and sweet spirit! I have to remember that the purpose in everything (the good, the bad, the easy, the difficult, the problems I bring on because of myself and the problems brought on by others) is to gain spiritual maturity. This month I had to surrender my frustrations and ask God to open my heart to what it is I need to learn. There's joy in difficulty, peace in chaos and patience in waiting. Appreciate you! 💕💕 8y
LeahBergen Great month of reading (and your journal is waaay prettier than mine 😍). 8y
saresmoore @LeahBergen I hope we'll get a chance at some book discussion together in the next few months—whether it be Ali Smith, The Book Thieves, or something-only-Leah-has-heard-of! 😊 8y
LeahBergen @saresmoore Yes! I've been having fun reading Infinite Jest with others (and don't think I ever would have started on my own!) 8y
Hobbinol ❤️Love your EOM sketches❗️ 8y
saresmoore @Hobbinol Thanks! I knew those years of folder doodling in middle school would pay off. Only now it's books, not emo poetry and various names of cute skater boys. 8y
britt_brooke Love it! 👏🏻 I have my supplies, now I need to work on my journal. 8y
saresmoore @britt_brooke Oh yes, in your spare time, right? Although, maybe you can commission a custom pen holder from your Lego engineer. 😄 8y
britt_brooke @saresmoore Ooh, that is a great idea, haha! 😁👏🏻 8y
77 likes18 comments
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andrew61
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Pickpick

I loved this story about two elderly men who have lived together and loved each other on an isolated farm in north carolina for some 50+ years. As Franks physical and mental health declines they are forced to confront society. Poignant, funny and beautifully written. Taking it back to library on a windy half day off work to excitedly pick up Homegoing by Yaa Gyassi.

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andrew61
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I am really enjoying this beautiful book. It is so full of poignancy and humour and captures brilliantly the nature of long term relationships. This little bit is where wendell is vacuming and finds franks fruit cake wrappers in his stuffed deers ear- its the 'trying hard not to smile ' which is wonderful as frank descends into dementia but that spark remains - love it! - 50 pages to go but don't want it to end.

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andrew61
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Ha- try and get photo right way up!

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andrew61
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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It hasn't taken me long to like these two men who are facing old age and the possibility that their long life together will become public. A moving first chapter and im now learning how their love developed. i hope it all ends well, great story and excellent writing - thanks reading envy for this find

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NickNelson07
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Pickpick

Incredible work by first time author! It explores a relationship between two gay men in their lives living apart from society. The writing surpasses all of the gaps (which I just treated like an episode of Black Mirror), and it is a must read for all persons, gay or straight. Written well, interesting character dynamic, and incredible symbolism for what it means to be alive.

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saresmoore
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"He stopped and stared at me, eyebrows reared in shock and dismay. That man could raise his eyebrows a hundred different ways. Took me a long time to learn them all, but I did. Every single one."

saresmoore @shawnmooney I just finished reading and I'm still reeling. In that last lucid day after he told the lawn boys to leave, the full weight of Frank's shame hit me like a ton of bricks. My dad is gay (he was married for 25 years to my mom) and I've never felt HIS pain and fear and longing so acutely as in those final moments between Wendell and Frank. This is a beautiful book. Thank you so much for sharing this! 8y
shawnmooney How wonderful! I am so pleased to hear it! ❤❤ 8y
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saresmoore
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"A cold front had rumbled through in the night, left its rain behind in wide, deep puddles that reflected the first autumn sky of the year, the kind of blue so startling children demand a reason."

shawnmooney Isn't the writing incredible!? ❤ 8y
saresmoore @shawnmooney So good. I imagine the author sitting on a front porch with a notebook, jotting down observations for hours. He hooked me with the tomatoes! 8y
Ericmanciniwriter Stacked this based on your rec! 8y
76 likes3 comments
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saresmoore
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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The system is down! ☹️ This is my Book of the Month selection machine! At least I have a wonderful book to devour in consolation.

LeahBergen Gah!! 8y
saresmoore @LeahBergen I know! The thought of choosing via iPhone is depressing me. 8y
SharonGoforth Oh no! 8y
saresmoore @SharonGoforth I suppose it's just one of many #FirstWorldProblems, but I'm still sad. I hope I can revive the old girl! 8y
SharonGoforth @saresmoore Here's hoping you do 😊 8y
66 likes5 comments
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saresmoore
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Some more sunset reading and so many beautiful passages in this book.

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saresmoore
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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I am loving the narrator's voice.

Karkar Isn't that the truth....you have to go to your general physician to get a referral to the specialist and hope you do not have to go to another specialist 🤕🤒😷🤧 8y
saresmoore @Karkar Yes! And a separate bill from each! 😱 8y
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saresmoore
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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I'm starting this one on a gorgeous day. It was recommended by @shawnmooney via the @ReadingEnvy podcast. I've had it from the library for a few days and simply couldn't resist reading it any longer!

saresmoore @shawnmooney I'm hearing this in your voice, but with a Southern accent. How fun! The writing is lovely. 8y
shawnmooney Yay! Glad to hear you're enjoying it so far! 😍😍 8y
Suet624 I remember hearing how much Shawn enjoyed this book. You've reminded me to find it. 8y
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saresmoore @Suet624 It's wonderful; very moving. I'm amazed because it's a debut from a young author, but it's a tender story about two old men. He writes with insight and restraint. I'm just really impressed. 8y
ReadingEnvy I really want to read that one!! I'm going to have an episode in the future that is all books my guest and I have read because of other hand guests. It's the reading envy chain! 8y
saresmoore @ReadingEnvy I love that idea! Especially since I've been studying up on block chain lately. 🤓 8y
66 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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BookHermit
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Listening to @ReadingEnvy while packing for the weekend. You have a great reading voice @shawnmooney !

LeahBergen Doesn't he?? I thought the same thing. 😀 8y
ReadingEnvy I loved his voices!! 8y
andrew61 Shawn's reading of the passage really brought out what sounds like a very moving book. I've consequently ordered it from the library and i am really looking forward to it arriving. 8y
BookHermit @andrew61 That's fantastic! 8y
27 likes4 comments
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shawnmooney
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Pickpick

The best gay novel I've read in many a year, capturing in perfect prose the confines of the closet and the love that, however distorted, grew there between two southern men from just after WWII to the present, them barely giving a nod to - barely breathing the slightest bit easier after - Stonewall or anything that followed. It's also a moving depiction of aging. A marvelous debut.

shawnmooney Readers squeamish about taxidermy or a graphic description of the accidental violent death of a pet might want to consider skipping this one, though. (edited) 8y
bookishkai I have this in my TBR, thanks for the warning about the pet thing, I'll keep that in mind when I read. 8y
CherylDeFranceschi Lovely review. 8y
saresmoore I didn't see this post before I started reading. I was surprised to see how young and handsome the author is when I flipped to his photo! I'm only about halfway through, but I would say that your review here is perfect. 8y
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shawnmooney
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BookishFeminist 😳 good morning to you too, lol. 8y
shawnmooney @BookishFeminist Top o' the mornin' to ya! 8y
EloisaJames Wow hard way to live 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Yet another book from you that I want to read!! 8y
31 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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shawnmooney
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Megabooks Harry and David has the only fruitcake I've ever enjoyed. 8y
Lindy Fruitcake fan over here. Am I in the minority? 8y
AWahle I like fruitcake too! But I'm a bit weird. I like Candy Corn as well... 8y
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DreesReads Mmmm panettone. 8y
Gleefulreader LOVE fruitcake. I stalk our local British shop every year for when they get in their shipment of Marks and Spencer's dark fruit cake. Weighs as much as a brick, and I'm the only one who eats it. NOM! 8y
PomegranateMuse 😂😂😂#truth 8y
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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shawnmooney
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Bibliogeekery Sounds good! #queerbooks 8y
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shawnmooney
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saresmoore I almost feel like this quote should have a spoiler tag just because of the build in that chapter. I was transfixed reading it! 8y
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shawnmooney
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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ForestAvenuePress Such a powerful book. 8y
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
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bookishkai
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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Today's Amazon haul. Hide is completely @shawnmooney fault, he blogged about it last week. And of course amazon's so helpful related items led to most of the rest of it. Too many choices, as always, but lots of good looking #queerbooks.

Bibliogeekery Looks like an exciting haul! I'm copying down some of the titles! 8y
shawnmooney Happy to be an enabler! LOL 8y
Suzze I have been watching the movie 102 minutes since the 11th. I can only watch it is small bits, I think it is more traumatic rewatching it than it was when it was happening as now we know what's coming. 😢😢😢 8y
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ReadingGrrl I know the author of 102 minutes - it's one of the most gut wrenching, angering yet also uplifting books - the power of ordinary people who do extraordinary things sometimes at their own expense is truly something to behold 8y
Karkar Sounds like a good one ! 8y
shawnmooney I'm just finally starting in on Hide today! 8y
118 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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shawnmooney
Hide | Matthew Griffin
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BOOKMAIL
Just had to have the hardcover edition of this new gay novel, which I originally heard about on The Readers podcast. It's supposed to be a touching decades-long love story between two closeted men in the deep South. Can't wait to read it!

ReadingEnvy That is where I heard of it too, sounds great. 8y
bookishkai Oh, this looks amazing! @shawnmooney I consider you my guru for all things gay lit :) 8y
Cinfhen That cover is awesome! And yes, sometimes I DO judge a book by its cover 8y
quirkyreader This one looks super good. 🐸🐙 8y
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shawnmooney
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JosephAmodeo
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Pickpick

Words cannot capture how beautiful and delicate this book is in describing a love that was hidden from the world, but beyond present between two human beings. If you read one book this summer, make it "Hidden" by Matthew Griffin.

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brianinseattle
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Pickpick

Really unique story that I haven't heard told before. One that I think needs to be told, even though it's heart-wrenching.