Winner of the Goodreads G/G 2016 BEST GAY MEN'S FICTION AWARD
Nominated for Best Gay Fiction, 2016 Lambda Literary Awards
"An amazing book that I did not want to end." -
Reviews by Amos Lassen
"Impressive debut novel. Highly Recommended." -
Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Vine Reviewer
John Branson is a college freshman with a big secret: he likes girls, but he also likes guys - and he is surrounded by them at the preppy, all-male college he attends in Vermont. It is the 1950s, a time when gay sex was illegal throughout the US and grounds for expulsion from colleges like his.
Against that backdrop, John struggles with the desires that drum inside his head with a deafening roar. Those desires are manifest in his complicated feelings of affection towards his roommate and best friend, Daniel. John also has his eyes on Dusty, a golden boy from California who is a senior and the dorm's resident advisor. It is a tumultuous year for John and his buddies as they learn about friendship, sexual awakening, and falling in love during a time of hate.
MY BARE NAKED HEART is a fun, sexy read that is both literary and impassioned. It is a moving gay love story that will make you laugh, cry, and remember what it was like to fall in love for the very first time.
If you ever read A SEPARATE PEACE and wondered if there was more to the male friendships portrayed in those pages, MY BARE NAKED HEART will speak to you. It is a book that explores love and passion with the intensity and lyricism of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. It is written with sexual frankness and set in the time of A BOY'S OWN STORY, GIOVANNI'S ROOM, and THE CITY AND THE PILLAR.
Note: this book is gay fiction, not m/m romance.