First published 2025
Milton Muleborn cannot forget Matthew Echota. The two boys met in a brutal juvenile detention center in the late 1980s, where Milton watched Matthew's artistic talent flourish even behind bars. Then Matthew escaped, leaving Milton behind. Years later, Milton remains consumed by envy of Matthew's success as a Cherokee artist. He decides to tell their story, revealing the secrets of their friendship and the nightmarish reality of their imprisonment. Milton's account moves between past and present, exposing the trauma of incarceration and the weight of pride. His narrative is dark, sometimes funny, and possibly unreliable. As he revisits their shared history, Milton explores what bound them together and what drove them apart. The story becomes a meditation on obsession, rivalry, and the possibility of forgiveness.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cherokee, Juvenile Detention Center
Period: 1980s
347 pages · Kindle Edition · Ecco
Content warnings: abuse