Grafting

by Rylan Hynes

When Eben Turner returns to his family's apple orchard in rural Maine after his parents' death, he faces more than just the weight of inheritance―he confronts the love he left behind. A decade has passed since he and Chris Hartley, the Methodist minister's son, were torn apart in their final year of high school, their secret relationship severed by the forces of faith and small-town judgment. Now, as adults navigating the crossroads of identity and belonging, they must reckon with both their buried past and an uncertain future.

Set against the Edenic beauty of New England, Grafting unfolds through dual perspectives in a lyrical narrative that mirrors the delicate art of joining two trees to create something stronger. As Eben and Chris work to understand how they came to be parted, they discover that healing requires more than forgiveness―it demands the courage to cultivate love in hostile ground.

This exquisite debut explores the cost of forbidden desire and the resilience required to claim one's authentic self. With prose as rooted and enduring as the heritage apple trees that anchor the story, Grafting asks whether two people can truly come home to each other after being forced apart by the very communities that shaped them.

A voice-driven and unforgettable tale of queer love and rural identity, Grafting will resonate with readers who were moved by the sweeping emotion of Brokeback Mountain, the luminous prose of Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, and stories that find the sacred in the profane, the universal in the deeply personal.

Genres: Adult, Queer, Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published June 2, 2026

Reviews

[Pie]

A really gorgeous and heartfelt love story and exploration of queer identity, with beautiful writing and thoughtful depictions of nature. Also, I learned a lot about apples, and loved all of the stuff about uncovering queer history.

[Cam Jury]

oh my god?

This book is one I will never forget. Not only is it written by one of my mentors and friends, but it is such an important and special story of queer love. Held between world of romance, religion, family, apples, and a small town in Maine, this book is outstanding.

Rylan’s writing is gorgeous and with each line I felt as if I could spend hours dissecting. The setting of the orchard across the years was enchanting and somehow made for the perfect background for a coming of age unlike any other.

I recommend this to everyone, but specifically my friends Brandon and Abby, or anyone who has struggled with or wants to dive more into stories of queer love and struggle with religion, or even just a small town in Maine. 🍎

[Avalon Gordon]

I picked this book up on a visit to Portland ME. I was excited to find a new release by a queer local author. I loved the poetic imagery of nature throughout this novel. I could feel myself amongst the apple trees with all the seasonal and dense descriptions. It’s a deeply feeling story.

[Abigail F]

This is an absolutely stunning novel! I’ve just finished it, and I don’t think I’m going to be letting go of Chris, Eben, or the Turner Orchard for a very long time. I loved the characters (if I’m honest, especially Chris, whose sense of self, and bravery to be that self, makes me wish I were him), and I can honestly say I both laughed and cried while reading this. Thematically, it’s perfect, with its focus on apples, the Tree of Knowledge, the history of the King James Bible and the history of King James, woven into the queer love story of two boys in Maine, finishing high school in 2005, and then those two boys as men more than a decade later. But it’s so much more than its component parts, and on a gut-level it’s just so incredibly moving. Highly recommend!!

[Mackenzie Richard]

I happened upon this book in a bookshop in Conway, NH and was super intrigued, as a rural Maine queer who’d worked on apple orchards for many years. It was just as incredible as I’d anticipated. Such a beautiful love story, surrounded by a worshipful prose with a reverence for Maine’s ecology and orchard husbandry.

[Airess]

I went into Grafting not knowing exactly what to expect, and it ended up being one of those quiet, emotional reads that really stays with you.

It took me a little while to get into, but once it clicked, I was fully invested. This isn’t a fast-paced or plot-heavy story—it’s very reflective and character-driven—but that’s what makes it so impactful. It explores identity, love, faith, and what it means to become who you are in a way that feels deeply human and relatable.

There were so many lines that made me pause and really sit with them. One that stuck with me was: “You can’t outrun who you are, no matter where you go.” And honestly, that feels like the heart of this entire book.

I also loved the way the metaphor of grafting was used—not just literally, but emotionally: love as something that takes time, that binds, that heals. It made the story feel layered and intentional.

It’s heartbreaking at times, but also soft, intimate, and even quietly funny in moments. I ended up annotating a lot, which says everything about how much this book made me think and feel.

Overall, a beautifully written, reflective story that sneaks up on you and lingers long after you finish.

Thank you to the Center for Fiction for the ARC.

[maddy]

I loved the entire atmosphere of this novel, I truly felt like I was there on the orchard with them in Maine. The horticulture aspect was just the cherry on top. My absolute favorite part to read, though, had to be the build-up to Eben and Chris' relationship. It came so naturally, and felt just as natural to read.

Also, was not expecting the twist about Ephraim !! The novel was unfortunately losing me for a bit at some point, but I think weaving Ephraim and the story behind his famous painting towards the end was genius. It added so much more context to everything about the Turner family, especially Andy, and his relationship with Eben.

This is an incredibly multifaceted story, but my main takeaway remains: queer people and their history will always exist, no matter how hard some try to overwrite it. This was a real gem.

[Jennifer Dupree]

I loved this book. It has so many of the things I want in a book—descriptions that brought me right to this place, a love story that felt genuine and tender (though not without conflict), and sentences that were so good they never got in the way of the story. I also really like when I learn something new, and I didn't know much about the grafting of apple trees. This is a book in which the characters and their situations felt incredibly real to me. I did a hard cry at one point, but I didn't leave without hope.

[Lizz]

Hmmm. Lots I wanted to like: nature focus, queer love story, complicated connection that unfolds across years. But also some awkward writing and editing...things like Eben occasionally referring to his parents as "mom and dad" (or similar, I don't remember exactly) and other times using their first names. The perspective was a little muddled.

Picked this up at a bookstore in Bar Harbor and it was a good Maine read.

[KJ Grow]

A sweeping and beautifully written love story that will break your heart and fill it up again. Chris and Eben forever!

[Donna Ekart]

Gorgeous. So apparent that the author has known love, and loved Maine.

[Steven Nolan]

stumbled upon this randomly and it blew me away. if you’re looking for books about the queer experience or just looking for a good book, check this out!

[kate lowe]

Such an honor to work on this absolutely gorgeous book. Some stop-you-in-your-tracks sentences here 🤍