A Boy's Own Story

This semi- autobiographical novel is a haunting bildungsroman about growing up gay in 1950s America.  It describes an adolescent’s realisation of his sexuality and his ‘impossible desire to love a man but not .. be a homosexual.’

It perfectly captures the sharp, shapeless yearning of late adolescence and what it was like to realise you were destined to love men when all around you screamed at you to love women.

Examining issues such as shame and self-loathing in beautifully crafted prose, this book is an extraordinary window into one boy's life. The New York Times called it a cross between Catcher in The Rye and De Profundis. I'd call simply call it a wonderful, wonderful book.

Also catch the second in the trilogy, The Beautiful Room Is Empty. This one follows the hero through school, college and finishes at the Stonewall riots and for my money is just as wonderful. The third book is The Farewell Symphony about the onset of the AIDS crisis. Not quite so fabulous but still worth a read. Edmund White is a genius.