Loser's Road
Loser’s Road is an engaging work of fiction about growth, second chances, and one man’s ability to grow and change for the better.
Kalan Chapman Lloyd’s spiritually uplifting romance Loser’s Road is about a man who comes to find himself through God’s forgiveness, and finds the woman who is willing to love him through his brokenness.
Cash Stetson makes his way home to Brooks, Oklahoma, after a month’s absence. He has returned to face the consequences of his poor choices: His gambling cost him his medical license, and his family looks down on him because of his mistakes.
Cash is given the opportunity to regain his license if he is willing to complete a medical mission in Mexico. He accepts this ultimatum, and it is there that he is introduced to Dr. Maggie Craig, beginning his story of forgiveness and second chances.
The story flows at a smooth, if slow, pace. Cash is introduced in a modulated way, and his mission in Mexico is incorporated well. Relationships between Cash and the people that he meets on his mission, including Maggie, are well fleshed out.
Writing is fluid, and the narrative is atmospheric. Cash’s experiences in Mexico are detailed and believable. Every medical encounter is explained in poignant and concrete detail, helping provide reasons for Cash’s behavioral shifts.
Maggie and Cash’s relationship does not start pleasantly, adding a fun element to their romance. Cash grows into a more mature and humbled man during his mission, encountering medical travesties and complications that make him more and more aware of his own brokenness. As he transforms, Maggie falls in love with the person that he is becoming.
Characters are emotionally well developed. Maggie is clearly described as rigid, brash, and successful; Cash is presented as troubled and arrogant. Empathy for him isn’t immediately secured, though he grows considerably in the course of the book. Secondary characters also have depth; even those with apparently minor roles come to play a big part in the story.
However, the narrative struggles to construct its characters in a physically realistic way. Nearly every man is described as tall and muscular; nearly every woman is tall and blonde. Only Maggie is “not like other girls”—she does not care about her appearance, but is still professedly physically flawless.
The text is oddly constructed, with awkwardly timed and presented chapter breaks. Quoted sentence fragments lead chapters but do not contribute to the plot, and transitions are clumsy as a result. A neat wrap-up of Cash and Maggie’s relationship and Cash’s personal growth during his missionary experience provides a satisfying ending.
Loser’s Road is an engaging work of fiction about growth, second chances, and one man’s ability to grow and change for the better.
Reviewed by
Hannah Williams
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
