A poltergeist haunts Taro, dogging his international travels. It washes glasses, puts dishes away, and even dusts. At least he hopes it’s a cleaning-obsessed poltergeist and not his own anxieties burbling over into neat freak fits he doesn’t remember. When his property manager suggests he call paranormal expert, Jack Montrose, Taro’s skeptical but desperate enough to try even a ghost hunter.
Jack’s arrival crushes Taro’s hopes of a dashing Van Helsing-style hero. Instead of an invincible hunter, he gets Ichabod Crane. As the paranormal puzzles multiply and Jack begins to suggest the entity might not be a ghostly one, Taro adds a budding friendship with Jack to his pile of anxieties. It’s a race to see whether Taro’s poltergeist or his relationship with the obviously-not-ace Jack will reach maximum strangeness first.
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists, by Angel Martinez
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
I adored this book! Taro is kind of a mess, but he clearly has a good heart and is working really hard to get past his insecurities. Jack is a mess in his own way, though I didn’t think we got a clear picture of his motivations, which is the only reason this isn’t rated 5 stars. Hey, maybe in the sequel…?
I enjoyed these characters and the interactions between them. The story was an engaging, though low-stakes, mystery. The side characters were a hoot, too – Frau Voss, Taro’s brothers, and Taro’s parents (his father cracked me up, a perfect foil for his mother).
Finally, I am also always cheered to see a sensitive, thoughtful treatment of asexual characters, and I think Martinez did a good job of that here. The difficulties of broaching the topic and having to explain it over and over are included here and handled in a forthright and honest manner. I just wanted to grab Taro and hug him!
I recommend this book to anyone for a light, enjoyable read!
(Side note: I came across a comment that referring to m/m romances as gay romances effectively erases bi, pan, ace, and other sexualities. I admit this never occurred to me before, but in the future I will drop the use of “gay” as an interchangeable term for “m/m” in my reviews.)