Nerds That Geek Book Review: 'Vertical'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There are times in literature and film that I am amazed a sequel manages to come to life.  We've all seen that one story that quite frankly, reached its logical conclusion. Yet a year or two later somehow someone manages to figure out how to take us on a journey with familiar characters one more time.  

While it may seem like I'm about to complain about such a move, I'm not.  ranted, there are times sequels disappoint each and every one of us, but truly sequels mirror life in a way.  or our greatest moments and our darkest hours don't fade to black and end there. There is usually more to our own story, so it makes sense that in the creative field writer's eventually figure out how to take us to the day after.  Case in point, today's review of the sequel to Rex Pickett's Sideways...Vertical.  

Oh how the times have changed. Once a down on his luck writer, Miles has found success at last by turning the week he spent with Jack in wine country into an incredible best selling novel. But while he tastes the good life at last, the times have not been so kind to Jack, who finds himself in between acting gigs more often than he would like, and divorced. But a desperate request from his mother will bring back the good old days as Jack and Miles reunite for a road trip into wine country once again.  

To say that I was excited to read Vertical after powering through Sideways would be an understatement. To reunite with these vivid characters was a complete and utter joy and after being unable to put the first book down, I knew deep down that the sequel would not disappoint and I was absolutely right. Vertical wastes no time drawing you back into the upside down world of Miles and Jack and while there was potential for a complete re-telling of the first book, Rex Pickett surprises again by growing these characters into the next phase of their lives. The beauty of this series is that Miles and Jack are dynamic and grow and change like the rest of us do. It continues to allow us to relate to the two of them because of how they simply jump off the page.  

But what caught me off guard this time around was the fact that Vertical is a darker novel than I expected it to be. While its predecessor had its heavy themes, the sequel digs deeper, taking us on a journey into the parts of life that we all never want to face. I don't want to go into too much detail as to what incredible events go down in the book since I want you all to read it and experience it first hand, but this book and its ending in particular moved me to tears.  It was simply that beautiful.  

This is, hands down a magnificent read and I encourage all of you to pick it up as soon as possible. In fact, Vertical left me wanting more and the good news is that Rex took the time to write a grand finale and it is as magnificent as this book and its predecessor and I'm glad I was able to go back and enjoy the series as a whole and appreciate the fact that this book, is a wonderful Act 2 for Miles, since it serves as his darkest hour as he searches for a beautiful Pinot Noir filled dawn...

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