Novel: Desert Sons

So, I had to seriously think about what my next novel post would be. I decided that it had to be "Desert Sons" by Mark Kendrick. I love this novel so much, I must have read it 100 times. It is quite simply the best coming out/coming of age story I have ever read. The characters are vibrant and real. There is not an untruthful moment in the book. The novel tells of the relationship between Scott Faraday and Ryan St. Charles. Scott is sixteen, Ryan is 17. They are complete opposites. Ryan is moody, hangs out with a tough crowd to prove his masculinity, confused about his sexuality, and exhibit signs of severe depression. Scott is quite possibly the coolest character I have ever read. Unlike Ryan, he is self-assured, sanguine, confident in his sexuality, has a cool dog, reppels down rock walls face first, loved by his band-mates who call him "sound dude,"is an oversexed virgin and loves to trick people up by playing made up characters. Scott's philosophy, "Fear is the mind killer, Fear is the little death."

The book begins with Ryan moving to Scott's small-town in the high desert of California to live with his Uncle after a "car accident." Ryan's uncle, who is friends with Scott's parents, ask Scott to take Ryan under his wings since he doesn't know anyone Ryan's age. Right away Scott thinks Ryan's a ding, and full of shit, but he hangs out with him because he also thinks he's cute. After forming a tentative friendship, Scott suspects that Ryan is also gay, and starts giving him signals that he is gay as well. The signs all go over Ryan's head because he thinks there is no possible way that someone as cool as Scott could be gay.

Scott is left with no other choice but to put it to Ryan straight (pun intended). After Scott put the moves on Ryan, they enter into a relationship filled with ups and downs, and lots of horny teenage sex (Kendrick does not hold back on the sex scenes). Afterall they are both at their sexual peeks. Scott is over the moon that he finally has a boyfriend, or as he told his Aunt, "we did the wild thing...and you don't know how glad I am to 've finally done it." Ryan on the other hand is not even out to himself, even though he spent his enter senior year being fucked by an older man. He has reservations about getting involved with Scott, but can't deny the fact that he wants Scott more than he has ever wanted anyone. As Ryan slowly begins to remove layers of self-doubt and childhood anguish, Scott is left to wonder if he is in over his head. Ryan is way more than Scott bargained for. And this book is more than I bargained for. I have read many coming of age/coming out stories, and none come close to "Desert Sons." There are so many tender moments between Scott and Ryan, none of them cheesy. For those who have not yet read "Desert Sons" - rejoice - you have a treat coming. For those who have, holla at me. I would appreciate your comments as well.

Kendrick puts Scott's and Ryan's love to the test in "Into to this World we are Thrown," which I will comment on in a later posting. Happy reading. La La :)

I will comment on the movie "My Beautiful Laundrette" tomorrow