When YES Gallery first opened, I was given some really wonderful help from someone who works at the grocery store that is just around the corner. I was trying to figure out how to get ice and sparkling water and sparkling wine to the gallery on time and in as few trips as possible, and he made some logistical and timing suggestions and other recommendations that made it possible for everything to run smoothly. When I asked his name he said it was Gabriel, and over time as I got to know him more I found out that his last name is Schlegel, that he is a student and he is a writer, that he makes films and videos, and he is a computer programmer too. I've also discovered that he is well liked and admired by his friends and co-workers, and that he is such a reliable and great help to so many people that I'm not the only one who is grateful and blessed to know him.
Just before Easter I saw that he had published a novel titled Shadowbeam and that it was available on Amazon. He had told me that it would be happening at some point soon and that it was something he'd been working on for many years. As soon as I received the information through his post on Instagram, I posted about it too, and I also went right to the link to purchase it. As I've written in these pages before, I am the kind of person who likes to read actual books, so when I ordered it I ordered it in paperback, but it is also available on Kindle.
I received a message about my order right away, saying it would be arriving on Saturday, then I received another message that said it would arrive on Friday, but then on Friday I received another message that said it was delayed and would be arriving on Monday. I had been looking forward to reading it, but I know these things sometimes happen, and then very late in the evening the Superintendent of my building sent me a message that there was a package that had been delivered for me in the hallway and I was delighted to see that it was Gabriel's novel.
When I first started reading about it in Gabriel's posts, I knew it would be something wonderful, and as I began looking it over when it arrived on the evening of Good Friday, everything about it seemed like something that was going to be a book that I would truly enjoy reading. I love to read, and always have, but sometimes some books just don't keep me interested past the first few pages. I don't know quite what it is, sometimes it's the style of writing, sometimes the content, but when I find a book that has just the right whatever combination of things it's hard for me to put it down.
Gabriel's book is one of those that once I started it I wished I had all day to read. As it is my schedule is so busy and there are some things I've really needed to focus on, but because of the quality of the writing and the content, I went out of my way to find the time to read his engaging and excellent novel. In his introduction he describes it as semi autobiographical, and as I read it I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of being inside the thinking brain of a young man who tells us right at the beginning that he's an over thinker. With chapters titled Thought Number 1, Thought Number 2 etc., interspersed with flashbacks and other meaningful interludes that add even more depth to what is already so layered and interesting, I found it so enjoyable to experience his day to day and moment to moment experiences as he thinks and sees and experiences them.
The writing itself is highly skilled while feeling so natural that it flows smoothly, with a very unique voice that is like nothing that I've read before. It's an excellent read that drew me in to keep reading in the way that only the best writing can, looking forward to what is happening next while enjoying what I'm reading in the present. A large part of the novel discusses the game of Tetris, something that I know very little about but that certain key characters are avid players of, and there is something so engaging about the way Gabriel describes the game and the way the characters interact with it and with each other that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about and learning about a game that I otherwise would not have any real knowledge of.
Shadowbeam is one of those novels that kept me turning the pages and wanting to continue reading, even when I knew I needed to stop and go about the other things in my life. It's such a wonderful read and the characters and story line are so interesting that I was taken into a world completely new and so much fun to lose myself in. There are also some aspects to Gabriel's story that are philosophically wise and encouraging. The tag line is "Let things fall into place," which reflects an aspect of the game of Tetris but also is something a friend of the main character says to him in an effort to help him stop overthinking and relax and accept the flow of life more, as an encouragement to accept the idea that not everything can be in his control and that's ok. That's a message I need to hear and one that is so well shared in Gabriel's language and in his story, and it made it possible for me to enjoy the opportunity to learn it for myself as I learn more about Gabriel and the game of life.
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