First published 1988
Philip Benjamin lives with a secret that grows heavier each day. At family dinners, he watches his conventional parents discuss their orderly lives while he remains silent about his own truth. His mother and father represent everything predictable about middle-class existence. They follow routines, maintain appearances, and expect their son to do the same. Philip knows his homosexuality would shatter their comfortable assumptions. He imagines their shock, their disappointment, perhaps their rejection. The gulf between his authentic self and their expectations widens with each passing conversation. Philip must choose between protecting his parents from a reality they might not accept and living honestly as the person he knows himself to be. This choice forces him to examine not just his relationship with his family, but his own capacity for courage in the face of potential loss.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, gay-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-out, family-conflict, secrets
Period: 20th-century
Hardcover · Random House Value Publishing
Content warnings: homophobia