When we’re kids, we have an idealized sense of what our lives will be like. Our first love is always the one, and nothing and no one will ever separate us.Sadly, Life has other plans, and we don’t even realize it.Such is the case for Jesse Lockhart and Kevin Corrigan, next door neighbors who begin a relationship as early teens that continues through their high school years.As with most relationships, theirs is fraught with bumps in the road. Growing up in the Sixties was hard enough. Growing up gay in the Sixties had to be downright painful. A lot of the problems they encounter are rooted in what societies expectations are for young men at the time. Secrets and hiding put an enormous strain on any relationship. Apply that to teenagers, and the issues mount.Jesse wants to be with Kevin, even after the latter moves away, and is willing to sacrifice even his own burgeoning identity to do it. Kevin, on the other hand, is trapped in a world of ideals and expectations. His attempts to be with Jesse are more lackluster due in large part to those afore mentioned expectations. While this may hurt Jesse, he’s more than willing to accept whatever attention he can get if it means he can be with Kevin, even for a short time.All-in-all, it’s a satisfying account of two teenagers struggling with their own identities both as individuals and as a couple, while faced with the challenges of societal expectations. The book may be set forty years ago, the themes are relevant in today’s world.
