The Summer Of My Discontent

Gay Youth Chronicles Complete Chronology #12

by Mark A. Roeder

The Summer of My Discontent is a tapestry of tales delving into life as a gay teen in a small Midwestern town.Dane is a sixteen-year-old runaway determined to start a new life of daring, love, and sex-no matter the cost to himself, or others. His actions bring him to the brink of disaster and only those he sought to prey upon can save him. Among Dane's new found "friends" are a young male prostitute and the local grave robber who becomes his despised employer.The boys of A Better Place are back-Ethan, Nathan, Brendan, and Casper are once again dealing with trouble in Verona, Indiana. Drought and circumstance threaten their existence and they struggle together to save themselves from blackmail, financial collapse, and temptation.Brendan must cope with anonymity after being one of the most popular boys in school. Casper must face his own past-the loss of his father and the fate of his abusive brother, who is locked away in the very hospital of horrors from which Brendan escaped. Letters from his brother force Casper to question his feelings-is Jason truly a monster or can he change?Dark, foreboding, and sexy-The Summer of My Discontent is the tale of gay teens seeking to find themselves, each other, and a better place.

Genres: M M Romance, Gay, Young Adult, LGBT, M M Young Adult

283 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Mark A. Roeder grew up in southern Indiana - near a small town similar to those that appear in his novels.

Reviews

[Ward Holsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book a million stars. This is my ALL time favorite Mark A Roeder book

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to work my way through the whole Gay Youth Chronicles this summer (and fall, probably). Roeder's books are decently written and plotted, but mostly they're the YA books that were not available when I was a young adult, trying to understand who I was and what future I might have. I'm on his fan email list and most of the fans are older men who grew up when there was no gay youth presence and no expectation of the changes we're all experiencing today. The threats in the stories are real, but the outcomes are more hopeful than many experienced in the 1950s-1990s when these books take place.

The Summer of My Discontent is a direct sequel to A Better Place and ties the protagonists of the latter book to the youths of The Soccer Field Is Empty and Someone Is Watching in Verona, a fictional town tory as we get to know Brandon and Casper, Ethan and Nathan, and their straight allies and enemies. Actually, it would be a good summer read, though I enjoyed it this spring.