In the Gray

By: Christina Lee

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Foster
I moved to a new city for a librarian job at the university, and though I’m enjoying the change, it does little to dispel the dull grayness of my world. When my dog, Oscar, forms an instant bond with a man living in a yellow tent, my surroundings begin to feel more vibrant and full of possibility. I’m first drawn to Lachlan’s soulful eyes, and then to his kind nature and resilient spirit. I want to know more about him, and Oscar seeking him out on our daily walks provides me with that opportunity.

Lachlan
One split-second decision leads to losing everything and living on the streets. Still, I’d choose my current conditions over being harmed by someone I loved. The only bright spot in my struggle to survive is the handsome stranger and his dog. Despite how compassionate Foster seems, I don’t want any handouts. I need to stay safe and stand on my own two feet after what I’ve been through. But when I find myself in a bind, I allow Foster to rescue me, if only for a night.

Our circumstances couldn’t be more different, and yet I’m drawn to Foster in ways I hadn’t expected. When our attraction skyrockets, Foster assures me that finding comfort in each other doesn’t hurt anyone. But when it becomes something deeper—meaningful conversations and mind-blowing intimacy—it occurs to me that I might’ve met the right man at the wrong time. Story of my life.

*CW: Discussions and depictions of domestic violence, mental health struggles, and experiencing homelessness.

©2023 Christina Lee (P)2023 Christina Lee

Foster & Lachlan

This was such a cute story and I think Nick J Russo gave a phenomenal performance. Lachlan and Foster work so well together. The "meet cute" 😍 I love Oscar! To me the story was lighthearted but there may be some elements that others will find difficult. I really enjoyed it.

Sensitive and sweet romance

In the Gray, a novel by Christina Lee, is a wonderfully thoughtful story about two men struggling with the blows that life can deliver. From the detailed portrayal of life for the unhoused, to living with chronic depression, Lee weaves a tale that has romance at the center, but also gentle hopes for how people can face adversity, get support, and find their way to more joy. Lachlan teaches Foster about the realities of the streets, and Foster helps Lachlan understand depression, as well as explaining spoon theory, an idea originally coined Christine Miserandino in her 2003 essay "The Spoon Theory," which has since been adopted by many in the disability rights community, especially those with "invisible" disabilities (I realize that many people may know this, but the origins aren't mentioned in the book, so I wanted to make sure to credit Miserandino here). I received a copy of the audio version, acted powerfully by Nick J. Russo, whose work I love. In the Gray is a short, but powerful novel, and one I'm grateful to have listened to.

Healing together

Foster and Lachlan’s story is complex. They are both experiencing real life struggles. There is trauma that they both have to work through.

What makes this story so beautiful is these two men handle each other with such care and intentionality. You should definitely read this.

The narration by Nick J Russo is amazing as always.

Great story elevated by Nick's performance

This book was lovely to hear. I really liked Nick J Russo's performance for not only the voices but the gentleness of each character. He made everything FIT if that makes sense.

The story unpacked quite a bit, honestly. There's a lot of subject matter and it was handled nicely. The romance was sweet, as were the men, and I appreciated how they handled a lot of their personal struggles. Both men had some demons to face and trust to build so the story is a bit of a slow burn which felt very appropriate.

Houseless guy and Guy with dog meet cute

Who'd a thunk it? This book made me think about people experiencing homelessness in a way I never thought of before...along side a cute dog and a healthy portion of sensual romance...but then again Christina Lee seems to be good at that - somehow marrying social issues of the day with a steamy romance. As much as I liked this book, were it not for the performance of Nick J. Russo who is adept at breathing life into the characters of any book I don't think I would have immersed myself as much into the lives of Lachlan and Foster and of course that charming Oscar! But I am glad I did.

4 stars - worthy of a repeat listen

"I want to hold you"

"I want to hold you when you’re in the gray, and we’ll look up at the stars together.”

What a wonderful story by Christina Lee and awesome narration by Nick J. Russo. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I can't say enough about how much I loved this!!! When I first read the book blurb I couldn't wait to listen. This touched upon several emotional subjects that could be triggers for some. This book really made me see certain things in a different light.

I especially loved the following quotes:

'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. - Oscar Wilde'

“You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear."

Such a sweet story!

I absolutely loved this book! The character development is so well done, and in a short amount of time! I could feel the chemistry of the MMC’s and the story was so well done and sweet! Would absolutely recommend!

Emotional & Heartfelt! Great Story & Narration🎧

Christina Lee delivers a powerful story, one that is moving and tugs at your heartstrings like no other. It is realistic and relatable and deals with serious topics that are we see and hear about all the time, struggling with mental health and those who are houseless. Foster has dealt with depression his whole life and it has been a struggle for him, but he is doing ok, moved to a new city to start a librarian job at the University and has his four legged best friend, Oscar. Walking Oscar and going for his morning coffee, Oscar pulls him over to a tent, and to meet its occupant, Lachlan. Oscar makes a new friend, Lachlan, who is houseless is not trusting of strangers but he and Oscar hit it off. Foster wants to help Lachlan, but does not want handouts or his pity. The two hit it off and while it was a journey for them to get to know each other and trust one another enough, it was an incident that brought them even closer together. It was great to watch their relationship blossom and turn into something more, and I loved watching Lachlan come into his own again and thought they were wonderful together and for each other. I loved the originality of his story, all its layers and the complexity of the characters. There is never a dull moment and the writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. Christina Lee, thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 Nick J. Russo was the perfect narrator to bring these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who he was portraying, humanizing them and giving each a voice that was fitting to that character’s personality. I loved how he took each role and made it his own, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters would sound. He set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. Russo is an entertaining storyteller and his performance elevates the story to another level. Thank you for another amazing listen.

Foster and Lachlan Face Their Challenges Together

In what could have been a heavily angst-ed story, Christina Lee writes a fairly light, sweet romance between Lachlan, a man experiencing houselessness and Foster, who is diagnosed with chronic depressive episodes. Throughout the book, both men come to realize that despite their individual challenges, they can weather the storms together in love. Add in an adorable dog named Oscar and an ever-brilliant narration from Nick J Russo, and ‘In the Gray’ will give listeners a lovely experience.

Highly recommended.

perfect pairing of author and narrarator for this beautiful story

I don't really know what to say other than you need to read this book. The build-up of trust and friendship between Lachlan and Foster is that of dreams where two pieces meld so beautiful you can feel them click into place. Both men have their issues, Foster has chronic depression and Lachlan to get away from an abusive past chooses to start over on the streets to be safer than with his ex.
The support these two men provide for one another is truly magical, helping the other move on to a brighter future. Christina doesn't shy away from showing depression isn't just a "you move past it" but needs to work on it every day, and guess what? Some days are harder than others. Whereas Lachlan had his issues accepting help and accepting, he can move on and accept the security and comfort of being with Foster.
It is truly a magical book of two souls getting together at that right time to be something so much more in the end. I can't stress enough how much I hope you give this book a try. For those who fear the angst its actually not there, yes their are obstacles, but they flow so beautifully that you just hop on and enjoy the journey to the end.

Audio

Nick J Russo proves yet again how powerful of a narrator he truly is. Foster & Lachlan are two souls made to meet at this point in their lives to make the other stronger and more beautiful. Nick makes these emotions more palpable, a perfect pairing with Christina Lee's words.