Trey's Company

by Frank Murtaugh

Love a little, die a little, and break the law. Trey Milligan did them all in one summer, and before his 14th birthday.Trey lives in Southern California with his parents and younger sister, but is spending the summer after 7th grade with his widowed grandmother in a small Tennessee town. The South becomes home to Trey, but also represents the freedom every child associates with the summer months.Three of Trey’s friends — Wendy, Devon, and Larry — come to personify love, death, and the criminal element, challenges every child must, at some point, confront. Together, the trio builds an unasked-for bridge to adulthood for Trey. The warmth and comforts of a “summer at Grandma’s” becomes a life-changing season of internal growth.None of the transformative events of this fateful summer, though, prepare Trey for the horror almost literally next door . . . the monster in hiding, and far too close to the girl he comes to love.A coming of age tale set in the summer of 1982, the story reflects the transition of a young man forced — over three months — to grow up in ways that typically require several years. Trey’s grandmother, sister, and an older second-cousin help shape him through the most memorable summer of his life. But it’s three friends — Trey’s company — who forever change his life.

322 pages, Paperback

Published June 14, 2017

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books become favorites because they take me places (exterior and interior) that I've never seen or perhaps even imagined. Others, though, endear themselves to me because the characters, locations, and inner life of the narrator's voice are so instantly recognizable.

Trey's Company is the latter. Set in a mid-sized town in East Tennessee in 1982, it relates the experiences of the 13-year-old title character during a summer stay with his grandmother, doing so in a way that both convincingly conveys Trey's thoughts and emotions in real time (having been a 13-year-old boy myself, the descriptions rang true throughout) but that retains just enough distance and perspective from the present time that also makes the story relatable to me as an adult and moves the novel beyond the scope of "Young Adult" fiction (though I'm pretty sure teenaged me would also have really enjoyed it). By the end, I was genuinely overcome with emotion.

[Barbara Prescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet and often poignant "coming of age" book with wisdom for all ages.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This southern coming-of-age story rings true. Born and raised in the south, I recognized realistic characters talking and behaving as real southerners would. I empathized with the well-developed characters, and the plot never dragged. The story made me miss my grandmother and her sisters. I hope Mr. Murtaugh will write another novel as I will certainly read it!

[Margaret]

I really enjoyed this coming of age book. It's written by a local author who is coming to our book club meeting to sign copies! Looking forward to meeting him and the club's discussion. This was a quick and easy read (I think it could be probably be considered a young adult book) full of strong women and a likable main character. A good debut novel.