Dreams of Arcadia by Brian Porter (review & giveaway)

“So much life amid all this death. Life surges forward in its inexorable rhythm, not hesitating for those who are mired in the past and cannot appreciate the present.”           

In Dreams of Arcadia by Brian Porter, Nate Holub lives and works in Houston, Texas, as a small-animal veterinarian, divorced and trying to stay connected with his twin teen daughters. Discontent hovers over Nate as he reflects on his life and his family home near Hadlow, Texas, which is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Houston. Contemplating the need for change and a fresh start, Nate takes the plunge and moves to Hadlow after interviewing and accepting the offer to be the second vet at Everette Templeton’s practice, which includes treating all creatures in the area no matter the size or temperament.

What Nate did not bargain for was the onslaught of memories of his father’s accidental death thirty years ago. Juggling the trials and tribulations of being the new vet in town, Nate is pummeled with childhood recollections and questions about what really happened all those years ago. Digging into the past yields few answers and even more questions, sending Nate into a tailspin and struggling with his past, the demands of his present job, his shifting relationship with his daughters, and a budding new infatuation in the workplace.

Dreams of Arcadia is primarily about connecting the blood and dirt of family and land of the past with the dreams of a satisfying present and a hopeful future of contentment if not full on happiness. Initially, Nate is far from delighted in an environment that is both familiar and foreign. Disturbing revelations; a reawakened communication with his enigmatic grandmother, Viola; and the grueling and gruesome work of treating large animals, some with life-threating conditions, leave Nate wondering if he really belongs there, or anywhere for that matter. When looking for answers and purpose transitions into settling into routine, hard work, and friendships, Nate tentatively comes up for air and discovers the rewards amid the inevitable aggravation of being a small-town veterinarian; father; and grandson to a taciturn, strong-willed woman.

Brian Porter is a master storyteller and superb literary wordsmith, filling the pages of Dreams of Arcadia with glimpses into the human condition as the main character navigates his life’s choices and seeks that elusive arcadia or utopia that rarely fully solidifies into actual dreams coming true and expectations becoming reality. Porter expertly portrays real life that sometimes disappoints and injures yet still honors pain, sacrifice, hard work, and integrity, often with a fair bit of humor and the binding acceptance of fate and family.

Dreams of Arcadia is the perfect choice for readers who love the wit and realism of James Harriot’s All Creatures Great and Small or who simply love their literary fiction punctuated with the messy and often humorous collision of animals with humans and humans with other humans. As an added bonus, the imagery is plentiful, including destructive weather, life and death hitting hard and fast, and forgiveness all defining the truth of what life is really about: a fearsome battle worth fighting for, flaws and all.

Enter the giveaway below on or before July 7, 2023, for a chance to win a copy of Dreams of Arcadia by Brian Porter.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.