Brendan Brewer graduates from his small town Indiana high school (class of 1982) where he was a football prodigy and an openly gay student. He's off to college at a large Big Ten university in Bloomington, leaving behind his friends and a boyfriend of almost two years. Will he be able to make a long distance relationship work? Will he be able to compete at the collegiate level?
Meanwhile, Marc, another young gay man from Brendan's home town meets a boy and discovers he may have some internalized homophobia when the boy turns out to be more effeminate than Marc is comfortable with.
The author Mark A. Roeder has over 20 novels to his credit concerning gay youth in the Midwest and has a loyal following of fans. His books have featured stories about homophobia, teen suicide, coming-out in the rural Midwest, and bullying long before these topics became the hot button issues they are today.
As a man who came of age in the Midwest just slightly before the period covered in these books and who came out in the 80's I find that there's much to identify with in these books. I'm particularly glad to see that new topics such as internalized homophobia and infidelity are covered in this latest book that may widen people's conceptions.
I found this book to be a compelling and engrossing read and will most probably read it again and again as I have a number of Mark's books. I would strongly recommend this book but, while it can be read as a stand-alone, I suggest that The Soccer Field Is Empty or Someone Is Watching or A Better Place would be a better place to start. Though they have their sadder elements, they give the reader some valuable background information as to this book's main characters.
Meanwhile, Marc, another young gay man from Brendan's home town meets a boy and discovers he may have some internalized homophobia when the boy turns out to be more effeminate than Marc is comfortable with.
The author Mark A. Roeder has over 20 novels to his credit concerning gay youth in the Midwest and has a loyal following of fans. His books have featured stories about homophobia, teen suicide, coming-out in the rural Midwest, and bullying long before these topics became the hot button issues they are today.
As a man who came of age in the Midwest just slightly before the period covered in these books and who came out in the 80's I find that there's much to identify with in these books. I'm particularly glad to see that new topics such as internalized homophobia and infidelity are covered in this latest book that may widen people's conceptions.
I found this book to be a compelling and engrossing read and will most probably read it again and again as I have a number of Mark's books. I would strongly recommend this book but, while it can be read as a stand-alone, I suggest that The Soccer Field Is Empty or Someone Is Watching or A Better Place would be a better place to start. Though they have their sadder elements, they give the reader some valuable background information as to this book's main characters.
