Review: So Near the Horizon (The Danny Trilogy #1)

'' ''How long you live isn't what decides whether your life is worth something or not. You've probably lived more intensely than thousands of people who've died of old age.'' ''

★★★★★

From Goodreads:

From the moment she crosses paths with Danny, Jessica is fascinated. The dashing, confident twenty-year-old has everything she dreams of—looks, success, independence, money—and his kind, infinitely cheerful nature is spellbinding.
Yet Jessica sees something else lingering underneath Danny’s perfect facade. Bit by bit, she manages to pick it apart, unveiling harrowing truths about a deeply traumatic childhood that has left more than just emotional scars. Now, far away from his home and family, he is fighting to build a normal life for himself—even though he may be destined for a future as dark as his past.
Despite all adversity and against all reason, a deep and intimate love develops between Danny and Jessica. But soon they find themselves confronting the harsh realities of a superficial world, battling against prejudice and exclusion at every turn… and, worst of all, racing against time…

Based on a true story, lived by the author, this book will destroy you emotionally. Happy reading!

You know the ugly crying you do when watching a Nicholas Sparks movie or reading the end of The Fault In Our Stars or Allegiant? When you just can't contain the sobs, you blow your nose every thirty seconds and generally just look ugly. Yeah, I know I am a crier, be it weddings, funerals, goodbyes, or books. Don't even mention a few specific movies. Every. Single. Time. So what happened with So Near the Horizon is exactly that. Ugly crying. And not just the last two chapters, it was the latter half of the book. The English translation of the book is almost four hundred pages, so you can only imagine the headache I had because of it the next day. It didn't help that I read it in one sitting without ANY breaks whatsoever.

With this kind of book, you can't judge the characters since they are not a hundred percent fictional. They are based on real life, and their actions have happened in a time not so long ago. But the way it all is put on the paper. Holy. Dear. Mother. Of. All. The story just comes to life before your eyes.

The story is told in Jessica's point of view, with a few stray side character POVs mixed in the middle. And the way they tell the story, how they move it forward in a constant nonstop motion so the reader doesn't feel confused is beyond words. 

The story is divided in months, starting from summer 1996 where you first meet Danny, then skipping to October 1999 where they first meet. (I am starting to tear up now.) The book ends a couple years later.

I mentioned earlier that I read the English translation of the book. The author is from Germany and the book was first published in German in March 2016. Since then the book was translated into English last Autumn. There is also rumoured to be a movie adaptation in 2019.

I have no other words than that that go, get the book and read it. You won't regret it, actually, you'll thank yourself (and maybe the Heavens) also if you do decide to read it.

'' ''Everything's okay, Danny. Door number two. With all the consequences. It's my decision and mine alone. I don't care what the other options are. It will always be door number two!'' ''