In this partly autobiographical book, the authors tells the story of his puberty, as he struggles with his homosexuality. The story is set in the 1950s in USA. The first chapter starts with his encounter with a friend and their first sexual experiences. Whereas his friend is only interested in the sexual side of their relationship, the narrator develops deep feelings and he struggles with them. Following chapters follow first his encounters with a psychiatrist which are meant to cure him from his homosexuality, and then a move to a residential boy school, which is also supposed to help him.The book is considered a classic. It is indeed very well written, and I was really drawn to the story. It is told from an "I" perspective, so it really reads like a memoir. We encounter a number of different characters, the author's immediate family, his fellow pupils and teachers. We also follow their reactions when faced with narrator's homosexuality. The narrator is not shown completely as a naive angel, since there is also a shade of dark that we discover towards the end. However, this twist is not completely convincing.
The book can be ordered on Amazon.
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