Billy Gunther

by Joey Eagan

At thirteen, Joey was coping with life in a household plagued by alcoholism and violence. In the throes of adolescence, he was also trying to come to terms with his homosexuality. Billy, also thirteen, was a masculine, self-assured boy who had he lived each day in fear of being beaten by his physically abusive father. And Billy was gay. Billy and Joey were drawn to each other at first sight. When they met in history class in the seventh grade, the attraction was instant and undeniable. A powerful love developed quickly and they set to work intertwining their lives together. Billy became Joey’s ‘best friend’ and developed a close bond with his family. Billy often stayed the night with Joey at his house in addition to having daily trysts at Billy’s house after school and before his dad got home from work. Their love and commitment soon becomes a force to be reckoned with. Billy and Joey discover strength through their love to confront insurmountable the dangers of their dysfunctional households, relentless bullying at school, including a self-loathing homosexual boy who repeatedly makes threats to Joey, and brutal harassment by a religious homophobic teacher and counselor. The worst of the dangers they must contend with is Joey’s cousin, Dickie Durand, a pedophile who proves that he is capable of any atrocity one can imagine. Dickie is imminently dangerous and is a very real threat to their safety and even their lives. With help from Joey’s loving brother and sister, and his supportive father, Joey and Billy’s love flourishes and grows against all odds. They are two young teenage boys who are forced to grow up at a hyper-accelerated rate because of a prevailing love that is almost never experienced by those so young. Billy Gunther is a testament to the power of love and how it can over-come anything.

353 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2017

Reviews

[Mike Oaks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Difficult Read

I honestly didn't know what to think of this story as the page numbers increased. First I thought how brave for the author to write about two 13 year old boys who fell in love. It seems a bit taboo. And then I was so confused with the relationship between Joey and his parents. They're drunk and verbally abusive on one page and loving on the next page. Just as I'm thinking "but wait, I thought they were..." Joey would think the same thing. Joey was 13 and a straight A student. He was mature for his age, but also not.

I found most of the book a bit taxing to read, so much hell for Joey, Billy and Russell. When the final chapters play out, I found that I had been pulled into their lives and emphasized with the closing events. As an adult, I felt helpless and wanting to rescue the boys so they could have a worry-free youth full of love. 4.0 for being "OK".

[MikeLoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful but sad story.