It takes one day for Velasin's life to implode.

Dutifully summoned to his father's estate to find he his to be betrothed to a stranger, Velasin is sexually assaulted by a former lover.  This exposes Velasin's preference for men, a preference that is completely taboo in his society, causing Vel to be exiled from his homeland with only his friend of a servant and the clothes on his back.  He is still forcibly engaged, only now he his destined for a foreign prince, surrounded by soldiers and diplomats who do not know why Velasin flinches from physical touch or that he dreads his wedding night.

Written in alternating POVs between Velasin and Caethari, his husband-to-be, A Strange and Sudden Endurance does a beautifully job of showing complex culture shock and non-linear healing.  Quickly caught in an assassination plot that accidentally pulls Cae and Vel closer together instead of driving them apart, the two men find that they both have a lot to unlearn, a lot of insecurities, and a lot of love they want to give to each other.

This book is not perfectly written.  Its switches between first- and third-person perspective sometimes seem arbitrary and its prose is occasionally stilted.  Despite their well-developed personalities and banter, Velasin and Caethari's narrative voices often sound sadly similar and difficult to tell apart.  However, I flew through this book.  I loved its diversity, its representation of sign language, and every single one of its characters.  I would happily read it again in a heartbeat.

This book is not for readers who cannot handle neo-pronouns.  Nor is it for those who need long, drawn-out paragraphs of descriptions; the book is too fast-paced for that.  It is perfect for lovers of Winter's Orbit, those looking for stories of belonging in the midst of hate and turmoil, and for anyone looking for a book that shouts with all its worth that kindness is not a weakness, but the greatest strength that anyone can have.