Wow, what a wonderful story. It is beautifully written and kept me engrossed throughout the book. I couldn’t put it down.
Aaron and Jeff are best friends. They go through all the emotions and feelings every eighteen-year-old experience. Add to that the fact that both are gay, but neither knows that from the other. Slowly Aaron sees Jeff in a different light and falls for him, but he can’t see that Jeff has feelings for him too.
Then tragedy strikes as Aaron’s father beats his mother to death. I can’t imagine the horror Aaron experienced seeing that. And Jeff is with him all the way. He is one hell of a guy. The leading light Aaron needs so desperately. All through the process of grieving for his mother, the anger towards his father (and yes for this mother to let it go too long), the guilt that he couldn’t stop his father, and the grief for his mother’s death. However, in his protectiveness, Jeff sometimes goes too far and withholds things for Aaron, especially the most important one. Silence is not always golden.
They keep dancing around each other and avoiding the confrontation. At first, it is sweet and adorable how oblivious they both are, but then I wanted so desperately for them to speak up.
Amidst all the grief and sadness, I had to laugh hard at the little stunt Pamela pulled off talking to her dad. That took balls.
Although this book is about two eighteen-year-olds, I wouldn’t categorize it as young adult as it is not written for young readers. Some conversations and situations (and I am thinking specifically of the sexual kind here) are rather specific and sometimes slightly too mature for their age. I wouldn’t recommend that to younger readers.
That aside, I found it a wonderful book that has so much in it. It was raw and delicate, poignant and heartbreaking, light and darkness, anger and guilt, hatred and love.