A few things about this book irritate me; most of all, I am not sure the author is all that literate. Two examples: he writes "should of" to capture a teen's jargon, but not consistently; at some point he uses "immanently" instead of "eminently." I mention both cases because one has the impression he has heard more than he has read.

Having said that, this novel was interesting and has its virtues. Chief among the latter is that it manages to be a novel about a gay teenager without turning it into boy meets boy; the conflicts arising over sexual identity are there, but they take second place (quite plausibly) to his very mixed up family life. The narrator's voice is confused, but that rings true; sometimes he is portrayed as a naif but then he calls his English teacher (Mr. Hayes) by names like "Miss TerHaze" and "Fey Hayes." I do not think an 18-yo who is clueless about how to be gay in the 70's would make those jokes. Is that supposed to be the older self looking back? Nothing else in the book would suggest it; the author seems confused about narrative devices. NEVERTHELESS, the story is compelling, the narrator somewhat appealing, and the struggles all too familiar to those who know what it's like to deal with this issue in an unfriendly environment.