Blackout: You Gotta Love Phoenix by Frank C. Senia

A dissatisfied optometrist attempts to put the fuzzy pieces of his life back together and find a new direction in Blackout: You Gotta Love Phoenix by Frank C. Senia. What begins as a “Hangover”-esque mystery develops into a real-time examination of how we spend our years, and the priceless value of taking a step back from our lives. Penned with an informal, conversational tone that often dips into stream-of-consciousness prose, the writing could certainly use some sharpening, but the main character’s reinvention of his life does keep the story interesting. The pace can feel breakneck, leaving little room for serious narrative reflection, and some of the character interactions – romantic and otherwise – are underdeveloped. That being said, this novella is a quick and entertaining slice of escapism, ideal for anyone who has ever dreamed of dropping everything to start somewhere new.